November 20 - 26, 2017
Boost Memory
Hormone Therapy Can Boost Memory Hormone replacement therapy for women undergoing menopause can protect as well as improve working memory for some IANS
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ndergoing a type of hormone replacement therapy -- used for menopausal treatment -- may help protect as well as improve working memory for some women as they age, according to a new study. Hormone replacement therapy uses female hormones -- oestrogen and progesterone -- to treat common symptoms of menopause and ageing. The findings showed that women taking oestrogen-only therapy had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and performed better on tests of “working memory” following exposure to stress compared to women taking a placebo. “Our study suggests that oestrogen treatment after menopause protects the memory that is needed for short-term cognitive tasks from the effects of stress,” said lead author Alexandra Ycaza Herrera,
a researcher at the University of Southern California - Davis. To measure the effect of oestrogen therapy on working memory under stress, the team recruited 42 women with an average age of 66. Half of the postmenopausal women had been on estradiol -- a type of oestrogen therapy -- for approximately five years, while the others had received a placebo. The researchers, in the paper published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism,
Hormone replacement therapy is used for menopausal treatment Oestrogen and progesterone are usually used for the therapy Oestrogen lowers cortisol levels and elevates working memory
collected saliva to measure the women’s levels of cortisol, oestrogen, and progesterone. They also ran a test of working memory called a “sentence span task”, in which the women were each given a series and then asked whether each sentence made sense. They also were asked to recall the last word of each one. While women receiving oestrogen therapy had a smaller increase in cortisol and showed no decrease in working memory function, even after being exposed to the stressful situation, those taking the placebo experienced a spike in cortisol levels as well as demonstrated a decrease in working memory function.Previous studies have pointed to potential health risks -- A higher risk of breast cancer, heart disease, stroke and blood clots -- of the treatment. Thus, Herrera noted that “hormone replacement therapy may not be right for every woman, but women need to be able to have the conversation with their doctors”.
Quick Glance
Scientists Decode Secret To Quit Unwanted Thoughts
Inhibitory neurotransmitters inhibit unwanted thoughts
A key chemical within the “memory” region of the brain has been identified that allows one to suppress unwanted thoughts
GABA’s release can suppress neuronal activity including thoughts
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cientists have identified a key chemical within the “memory” region of the brain that allows us to suppress unwanted thoughts. The findings showed that the ability to inhibit unwanted thoughts relies on a neurotransmitter -- a chemical within the brain that allows messages to pass between nerve cells -- known as GABA. GABA is the main “inhibitory” neurotransmitter in the brain, and its release by one nerve cell can suppress activity in other cells to which it is connected. GABA concentrations within the hippocampus --a brain area involved in memory -- predict
people’s ability to block the retrieval process and prevent thoughts and memories from returning. The results may explain why people suffering from disorders such as anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and schizophrenia often experience persistent intrusive thoughts, the researchers said. “Our ability to control our thoughts
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PCOS
Quick Glance
memory brain
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Health
GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in human brains
is fundamental to our well-being,” said Michael Anderson, Professor at the University of Cambridge. “When this capacity breaks down, it causes some of the most debilitating symptoms of psychiatric diseases: intrusive memories, images, hallucinations, ruminations, and pathological and persistent worries -key symptoms of mental illnesses such as PTSD, schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety,” Anderson added. In the research, published in Nature Communications, the team used a task known as the “Think/NoThink”, where participants learned to associate a series of words with a paired, but otherwise unconnected, word, e.g., ordeal/roach and moss/ north.
PCOS upset Mental Health in Women New research shows that women suffering from PCOS are more likely to develop mental health problems in the future IANS
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re you experiencing anxiety, depression and panic attacks? Beware, as your PCOS problem may be affecting your health. New research has warned that women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) are more likely to suffer from mental health problems. PCOS is a chronic disease in which elevated male hormone levels can cause a range of distressing and lifelimiting symptoms, including reduced fertility, irregular periods, excessive facial and body hair and acne. The research also added that the high levels of testosterone during pregnancy have been reported to increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ADHD and autism, in children. “The effect of PCOS on mental health is under-appreciated. Our work shows that screening for mental health disorders should be considered during clinical assessments,” said Aled Rees, Professor at Britain’s Cardiff University. The researchers assessed over 17,000 women diagnosed with PCOS and followed them for a period of six months regularly. When compared with unaffected women, matched for age, body mass index and geographical location, the study found that PCOS patients were more likely to be diagnosed with mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. The results, presented at the Society for Endocrinology Annual Conference 2017 in Bristol, noted that the children born to mothers with PCOS were also found to be at greater risk of developing ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.