The goal of the project is to identify relations between sex steroids (estrogens and androgens) and cognitive processes in post-menopausal women. Levels of sex steroids and cognitive performance decline in this population, raising questions about the role of changing levels of sex steroids as a cause of, and possible treatment for, cognitive aging. Based on prior studies of the effects of administered steroids and classic theories from cognitive psychology, we identify elementary cognitive processes that are likely to be influenced by sex steroids. Our proposed experiments will administer Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in a double-blind cross-over design to explore the effects of sex steroids on a range of heretofore unexamined cognitive tasks. DHEA is an adrenal steroid that metabolizes to both estrogens and androgens. This metabolism permits the simultaneous exploration of the effects of estrogens and androgens on cognitive processes. Multiple regression analyses will be used to identify the relations between steroid levels and cognitive performance within individual participants and across participants. A secondary goal of the project is to clarify the observed effect of DHEA administration. This is practically important because DHEA is readily available over-the-counter and is in general use due to anecdotal reports of its efficacy. Based on our prior work, we hypothesize that the observed effects of DHEA can be explained by the complex, and sometimes conflicting, effects of its estrogenic and androgenic metabolites. Relevance to Public Health: With increasing lifespans, post-menopausal women constitute an expanding population and a growing proportion of the overall population. Decreases in levels of sex steroids (androgens and estrogens) that accompany menopause may be related to declining cognitive performance in this population. The proposed studies will provide extensive information on how varying levels of androgens and estrogens influence a range of cognitive processes in post-menopausal women ? ?
| Merritt, Paul; Stangl, Bethany; Hirshman, Elliot et al. (2012) Administration of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) increases serum levels of androgens and estrogens but does not enhance short-term memory in post-menopausal women. Brain Res 1483:54-62 |
| Stangl, Bethany; Hirshman, Elliot; Verbalis, Joseph (2011) Administration of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) enhances visual-spatial performance in postmenopausal women. Behav Neurosci 125:742-52 |
