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Memory decline after menopause linked to loss of estrogen production in brain

news.northwestern.edu

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Re: Memory decline after menopause linked to loss of estrogen production in brain

#21

Post by mirabilis »

throw8394jrjr wrote: post #14
mirabilis wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

US life expectancy in 2024 for women was 81.4 years; for men, 76.5 [1]; “non-early” symptoms of Alzheimer's typically begin after 65 [2]. I don’t think that the life expectancy average offset of ~5 years is the main factor here. 1. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db548.htm 2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-di...

It also said "comfortable lives". Also compare retirement ages, years worked, income (hard mental work)... it is well known that alzhaimer is corellated with brain activity (like solving suduku puzzles). Watching tv all day is not very healthy for brain...

Yes, I didn’t address that portion of your original post, as I was silently agreeing with you that men perform vital social and economic activity such as pick-up truck, football, and bitcoin, whereas women do nothing all day save for frivolous non-labor activities such as raising children.

Re: Memory decline after menopause linked to loss of estrogen production in brain

#22

Post by bethekidyouwant »

derektank wrote: post #4

The damage the Women’s Health Initiative did to women’s health by conducting the flawed research that got HRT black boxed for twenty years really cannot be overstated. We went from a quarter of women being on estrogen replacement therapy post-menopause at the turn of the millennium to ~5% in 2020. A real case study in institutional failure.

The institution of science?

Re: Memory decline after menopause linked to loss of estrogen production in brain

#23

Post by Supernaut »

XorNot wrote: post #20
Supernaut wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> baldness, and the downside of the condition for sexual attractiveness of its bearers Just a guess, and I highly doubt there are any reliable statistics on this, but perhaps balding men are less likely to be tempted to abandon their family unit, thereby making it more likely that their children will thrive and carry on their genes? I base this theory on my own experience, which is that I went completely bald in my e…

This seems like an odd conclusion to draw. I'm married with a full head of hair and I couldn't tell you whether or not any woman has ever been interested because I'm not paying attention nor am I trying to draw it.

Good for you. I always did notice if there was a spark between me and someone I encountered. I wasn't going to act on it if I was already in a relationship, but I found it nice to feel that I had some physical appeal.

Re: Memory decline after menopause linked to loss of estrogen production in brain

#24

Post by stevenhuang »

phoronixrly wrote: post #8
analog8374 wrote: post #3

Memory is environment-associated. Which is to say, these memories that you have are connected to the environment that you find yourself in. Change your environment and your memory, to a degree proportional to the environment change, breaks. This is why sometimes you enter a room and forget why you came in. This can explain the phenomenon referred to in the op. A woman enters a room devoid of estrogen and her memory b…

Eh, have you seen any research on this or are you quoting own experience?

All of the claims above wrt memory reads quite mundane and adequately non assertive, but I'm a layperson.

I do believe it's well established that memory is associative. It's why roses are associated with love, because of Valentine's Day. If you see roses or smell roses, you will recall memories of your loved ones maybe, especially if you have given them roses.

Whether the decline in estrogen content of a room can be the dominant mechanism for momentary memory loss is a separate claim and more dubious sounding to me though (estrogen behaving like a pheromone??), but it's not like I have looked into this deeply so idk.

Re: Memory decline after menopause linked to loss of estrogen production in brain

#25

Post by nostrademons »

ranger207 wrote: post #15
gavinray wrote: post #11

Estrogen (specifically Estradiol, E2) is one of the most important systemic hormones in both men and women I've spent a significant amount of my free time for the last 15 years studying androgen physiology and self-experimentation. Here are a few facts about estradiol that others might find surprising: 1. E2 acts as a master metabolic/energy regulator in humans. ER-alpha and pan-ER agonists are being developed for ob…

Re #2, in the mtf trans experience high estrogen and low testosterone are correlated with low libido, with some individuals even temporarily stopping antiandrogen medications in order to get some back

Yeah, your comment squares with (and the GP's point #2 contradicts) what I learned in my college Science & Gender class, which was a combined neuroscience/psychology offering where we read a bunch of papers. Most of them supported that testosterone was the primary driver of libido in both men and women, with higher T levels corresponding to higher sexual desire and lower T levels corresponding to the opposite.

Re: Memory decline after menopause linked to loss of estrogen production in brain

#26

Post by pengaru »

Supernaut wrote: post #23
XorNot wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This seems like an odd conclusion to draw. I'm married with a full head of hair and I couldn't tell you whether or not any woman has ever been interested because I'm not paying attention nor am I trying to draw it.

Good for you. I always did notice if there was a spark between me and someone I encountered. I wasn't going to act on it if I was already in a relationship, but I found it nice to feel that I had some physical appeal.

You also got older and probably less fit.

As a bald man my experience has been the main determining factor is how hard am I working on maintaining an athletic physique that year.

Re: Memory decline after menopause linked to loss of estrogen production in brain

#27

Post by bethekidyouwant »

mirabilis wrote: post #21
throw8394jrjr wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It also said "comfortable lives". Also compare retirement ages, years worked, income (hard mental work)... it is well known that alzhaimer is corellated with brain activity (like solving suduku puzzles). Watching tv all day is not very healthy for brain...

Yes, I didn’t address that portion of your original post, as I was silently agreeing with you that men perform vital social and economic activity such as pick-up truck, football, and bitcoin, whereas women do nothing all day save for frivolous non-labor activities such as raising children.

Not sure you’re raising children when you’re 65.

Re: Memory decline after menopause linked to loss of estrogen production in brain

#28

Post by clickety_clack »

Qem wrote: post #7

> Nearly two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are women, but the reasons why women are more vulnerable are still not fully understood. Scientists have long theorized that the loss of estrogen after menopause may reduce the brain’s natural protection against memory loss and neurodegeneration. The part that makes no sense for me is men ending with smaller rates of dementia, given they had much less est…

I think you’d want to reconsider the assumption that there is a big downside to baldness for sexual attractiveness.

Re: Memory decline after menopause linked to loss of estrogen production in brain

#30

Post by ericskiff »

Supernaut wrote: post #18
Qem wrote: post #7

> Nearly two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are women, but the reasons why women are more vulnerable are still not fully understood. Scientists have long theorized that the loss of estrogen after menopause may reduce the brain’s natural protection against memory loss and neurodegeneration. The part that makes no sense for me is men ending with smaller rates of dementia, given they had much less est…

> baldness, and the downside of the condition for sexual attractiveness of its bearers Just a guess, and I highly doubt there are any reliable statistics on this, but perhaps balding men are less likely to be tempted to abandon their family unit, thereby making it more likely that their children will thrive and carry on their genes? I base this theory on my own experience, which is that I went completely bald in my e…

Just chiming in for anyone else reading this and worried about their hair thinning, this is a thing men worry about much more than women. Bruce Willis, Patrick Stewart, Michael Jordan, Vin Diesel - there have been plenty of bald sex symbols and plenty of women who enjoy that look (and the look of many average men of various builds and ages)

The factors of attractiveness are by far more related to basic self care (hygine and being fit enough to care for yourself and others), kindness and the ability to share in others' joy, and passionate interest in something, and a lightness or humor in your manner.

I started balding at 18, shaved it all at 22. Its not an issue. Height, hair, etc might get immediate reaction and attention, but hardly matter for real connections.

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