Long-term effects of bilateral oophorectomy on brain aging: unanswered questions from the Mayo Clinic Cohort Study of Oophorectomy and Aging.

ABSTRACT: In the Mayo Clinic Cohort Study of Oophorectomy and Aging, women who had both ovaries removed before reaching natural menopause experienced a long-term increased risk of parkinsonism, cognitive impairment or dementia, and depressive and anxiety symptoms. Here, we discuss five possible mechanistic interpretations of the observed associations; first, the associations may be non-causal because they result from the confounding effect of genetic variants or of other risk factors; second, the associations may be mediated by an abrupt reduction in levels of circulating estrogen; third, the associations may be mediated by an abrupt reduction in levels of circulating progesterone or testosterone; fourth, the associations may be mediated by an increased release of gonadotropins by the pituitary glan

SUBMITTER: Rocca WA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2716666 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature