Hormones, mood, and cognitive functioning in postmenopausal women.

Findings from basic neuroscience have provided information on the effects of estrogen on brain morphology and chemistry that explain how this sex steroid may influence brain function. The clinical literature shows that estrogen enhances mood and specific aspects of cognitive functioning in postmenopausal women. There is also evidence that estrogenic effects on various psychological functions are dissociable and specific. Although several recent epidemiologic case-control studies have suggested a protective effect of estrogen against Alzheimer disease, these findings need to be verified by prospective, controlled investigations.