Dune

Estrogen treatment alleviates NMDA-antagonist induced hippocampal LTP blockade and cognitive deficits in ovariectomized mice.Neurobiol Learn Mem (Neurobiology of learning and memory.) 2003 Jan; 79(1): 72-80

Hmmm.. This is an interesting article suggesting that estrogen is active at NMDA receptors...
Learn something every day. That is what I get for being out of school for a couple of years.

Daleth

Ah, I see. But you didn't tell me what hand-wavey means, and I've just got to know.

The most recent studies on post-menopausal HRT show that women over 65 using combination estrogen-progestin suppliments were twice as likely to start showing symptoms of dementia while being treated than those taking no hormones. Prior to this smaller studies showed HRT having a positive effect on cognitive abilities. (This was all over the news, so you've likely heard it.)

The reason they started studying this in the first place was an observed decrease in cognitive abilities after menopause. If the latest study holds true (and it looks like there won't be further human studies due to increased cancer rates in HRT patients), stuffing those hormones back into women over 65 doesn't help.

This doesn't logically suggest that an increase in hormonal levels around ovulation would be suffient to cause forgetfulness within the 5 day window during which a pregnancy could result, but it does confound the older and simpler belief that a woman's hormones are good for memory, period.

The question posed by the study in the OP was:

It suggests not an just increase in forgetfulness, but a specific and motivated increase. It's far more sinister than suggesting an ovulating woman might forget where she put her car keys and forget to use her diapragm and forget what she had for lunch yesterday.

The question posed by this study suggests she might remember where her car keys are and what she had for lunch, but "forget" to use her diaphragm because her hormones are telling her brain that she wants to get pregnant so that she'll subconsciously "forget" only things related to preventing pregnancy.

Progesterone would have to be taken off the list of suspects because the rise in prog levels does not occur until it's too late for a lapse in birth control to result in pregnancy.

Dal

cricket

Right. I couldn't imagine "forgetting" to use something like a diaphragm. If there's anything to this, it's that one forgets to have it along in purse. More likely, if there's anything to this, it's that they "forget" the desire to avoid pregnancy. And instead are overcome by an attitude of "Oh goddamn it all to hell." ("It's just this once; nothing will happen; the odds are so wayyy against it, and wouldn't we have the sweetest bay-beee...")

And in telling their stories to researchers they may (without realizing it) be lying. Preferring to blame "forgetting" rather than blame "risk-taking." (Maybe now they'll get over this, and just blame brain chemicals?)

scigirl

GRRR this sucks! The last two studies have been very damning to HRT - first we thought that HRT could help cardiovascular disease, then we find it might increase deep vein thromboses and stroke. Then this new dementia study.

I must point out that the media did seriously over-report the study - here is the data from JAMA:

So the risk of dementia, while it is a two-fold increase, is still a two-fold increase to a very small population to begin with. Still, how depressing - we thought this would improve cognition. Our lab conducts studies in HRT in women, and now we have to re-structure all our protocols - :banghead: :banghead: Stupid science!

No there still will be future studies - we just have to modify our protocols. I'll keep you posted.

scigirl

tribalbeeyatch

It appears to be so:
It is interesting to note that the effect is more pronounced in the neocortex. This is more consistent with an effect on recall than altered hippocampal physiology and therefore more relevant to the OP.

Regarding posmenopausal memory:

I should also point out that these estropausal effects can be largely reversed with estrogen replacement.

Daleth

Thanks for that. I'm glad to hear it. Thanks also for pointing out the "hype" level in the media reports (the articles at the NIA make it seem just as grim).

Dal

ps418

The results in rats are not terribly surprising, since in humans it has long been known that spatial abilities, such as object rotation tasks, are subject to hormonal influences, which in part explains sex differences in spatial abilities (see, e.g., Kimura, 1999. Sex and cognition, MIT Press). Have you found any studies showing hormonal influences on 'declarative' memory?

Patrick

tribalbeeyatch

There isn't any evidence that it acts as an NMDA receptor ligand or cofactor that I know of. It is much more likely that estrogen increases either the number of NMDA receptors (I think that the expression of one of the NMDA receptor subunits is regulated by an estrogen response element) or the efficacy of NMDA-receptor-stimulated second-messenger signaling.

tribalbeeyatch

Off the top of my head, no. I'm not very familiar with the human literature. Are you sure that declarative memory is the most relevant to women forgetting birth control? I think that it might be better classified as a procedural memory.

ps418

Actually, I would think that both types would be involved to some extent -- procedural memory in the actual motor process of taking the pill, and declarative memory of the fact or event of having taken or not taken the pill or other form of birth control, or the fact that birth control 'should' be taken before sex. But I'm interested either way, so let me know if you happen to find anything.

Patrick