Einfluss von Sexualhormonen auf die Kognition

The hippocampus is a brain area that is closely associated with learning and memory. In the female—but not the male—hippocampus, the local synthesis of estrogen is essential for the plasticity and stability of synapses. The inhibition of estradiol synthesis in the female hippocampus results in an impairment of long-term potentiation, an electrophysiological parameter of learning and memory, followed by a significant loss of synapses. Estrous cyclicity of synapse density in the hippocampus, i.?e. high estradiol levels in serum, correlate with high synaptic density, perhaps due to a regulatory role of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). The hippocampus expresses GnRH receptors and GnRH stimulates estradiol synthesis and synapse density in a u-shaped dose responsiveness. Against this background, elevated levels of GnRH during the menopause could contribute to cognitive deficits in women.