Effect of menopause on cognitive performance in women with Down syndrome.

We compared cognitive function in nondemented pre- and postmenopausal women with Down syndrome, aged 21-57 years, with their age-matched male peers. The Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability-Revised were used to assess cognitive function at baseline and 2 years later. Premenopausal women performed better than their age-matched male peers, while postmenopausal women performed more poorly than age-matched male peers (p = 0.007). Premenopausal women and young men showed no significant declines in cognition over time. Postmenopausal women, but not their age-matched male peers, showed significant declines in cognitive function. Our results support the hypothesis that cognitive declines in postmenopausal women are associated with estrogen deficiency rather than with age.