Estrogen Helps Women With Alzheimer's Disease

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Doctors, have found that higher doses of estrogen may enhance memory and attention for postmenopausal women with Alzheimer's disease. The findings appear in the current issue of the journal Neurology. In this study, 20 women received either estrogen or a placebo through a skin patch. Short-term administration of a higher dose of estrogen produced a significant improvement in verbal memory, visual memory, and attention in postmenopausal women with AD. Earlier studies have suggested that estrogen may somehow protect nerve cells in the brain and prevent their death, although it is unknown exactly how. It also appears to slow the progression of AD and perhaps even prevent it in women who do not already have the disease. Now a larger study over longer treatment duration is needed to confirm the therapeutic potential of estrogen replacement.