Abstract
Recent research findings have made it clear that the female sex-steroid hormone estrogen has several functions other than regulation of sexual and reproductive behavior. In addition to this hormone's well-known influence on bone and the heart, this hormone exerts a wide variety of effects on the brain, including both development and function. The current interest in aging of the brain derives, in part, from the enormous and global increase in the proportion of elderly people. Old age is associated with several health problems including a general decline in mental function, especially in dementia, and specifically Alzheimer's dementia (AD). To focus on this issue, it is essential to understand the changes taking place in the aging brain and the role that estrogen plays in this process. This article reviews the data on the involvement of estrogen in the aging brain and discusses the potential consequences of estrogen replacement therapy.
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