Hormone use and cognitive performance in women of advanced age

OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and cognitive performance in a group of elderly women (greater than or equal to75) using a battery of well-standardized neuropsychological instruments. DESIGN: Equivalent samples from existing cohort. SETTING: Healthcare provider organization. PARTICIPANTS: All women enrolled were participants in an ongoing study of the association between HRT and the prevalence and incidence of dementia. Prescription records were used to establish HRT status. Fifty-eight users and 47 nonusers of HRT participated in this substudy. MEASUREMENTS: Given previous reports that HRT has a positive effect on verbal memory, the California Verbal Learning Test and the Logical Memory Test were used as primary outcomes. A range of validated tests that assess other cognitive domains was also included. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between users and nonusers of HRT on any cognitive measures. CONCLUSION: Given equivalent groups of users and nonusers of HRT no support was found for the hypothesis that use of HRT improves cognitive performance in older women.