AS103 - Effects of hormone replacement therapy on cognitive aging (WHISCA)

Investigator Names and Contact Information

Sally Shumaker (sshumake@wakehealth.edu)

Introduction/Intent

WHI Study of Cognitive Aging (WHISCA; WHI Study #AS103)

1999 - 2010

N~2,302

The WHI Study of Cognitive Aging (WHISCA) enrolled 2,302 WHIMS participants aged 66 to 84 years on average 3 years after WHI randomization and investigated the efficacy of postmenopausal hormone therapy on age related changes in specific cognitive functions in non-demented women at 14 of the 39 WHIMS sites. WHISCA provides more comprehensive annual assessments of cognitive function and mood. Annual follow-up of the WHISCA women continued after the termination of the WHI trials until 2010.

Related Papers

Pregnancy and breastfeeding are associated with less later-life cognitive decline in a longitudinal, prospective cohort

Approved Manuscript, Fox, Molly et al., 2025/4 MSID: 4586
Keywords: Pregnancy; Breastfeeding; Reproductive History; Alzheimer’S; Dementia; Brain Volumes; Hippocampus
Related Studies: 83, 103, 183

Optimism and cognitive decline in older women

Approved Proposal, Koga, Hayami K. et al., 2025/1 MSID: 5250
Keywords: Optimism; Cognitive Decline; Healthy Aging; Epidemiology; Psychosocial Factors
Related Studies: 39, 103

Calcium and vitamin D supplementation and cognitive impairment in the Women's Health Initiative

Rebecca Rossom et al., 2012/11 PubMed #23176129 MSID: 1121
Impairments in physical performance increase sharply with age. Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) levels may be a modifiable risk factor for physical performance decline.Five hundred thirty-two participants in the Women's Health Initiative Clinical Trial (WHI CT) were among a 25% randomly selected subsample of women who participated in performance-based measures of physical performance at baseline, year 1, year 3, and year 6. A physical performance summary score was derived from three tests:...
Related Studies: 39, 103, W15, W24

Trans-ethnic genome-wide association study of psychomotor speed

Approved Proposal, Satizabal, Claudia L. et al., 2018/6 MSID: 3656
Keywords: Genome-Wide Association Studies; Common Genetic Variation; Psychomotor Speed; Finger Tapping Test; Neurocharge Consortium
Related Studies: 39, 103

The relationship between KLOTHO, dementia incidence and cognitive function

Approved Proposal, Driscoll, Ira et al., 2020/9 MSID: 4272
Keywords: Dementia; Mci; Cognitive Impairment; Resilience; Genetic Risk; Memory; Executive Function
Related Studies: 39, 103, 233, 244

Social resources, brain reserve, and risk of cognitive decline and incident MCI or dementia in the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study

Approved Proposal, Gruenewald, Tara et al., 2019/11 MSID: 4054
Keywords: Social Support; Social Strain; Cognitive Function; Mild Cognitive Impairment; Dementia
Related Studies: 39, 103, 252, 262

How women’s reproductive life-history predicts post-menopausal atrophy

Approved Proposal, Bramen, Jennifer et al., 2024/9 MSID: 5186
Keywords: Pregnancy; Breastfeeding; Reproductive History; Alzheimer’S; Dementia; Cortical Thickness; Gray Matter Density; Hippocampus; Amygdala.
Related Studies: 39, 103, 183

Effects of combination estrogen plus progestin hormone treatment on cognition and affect

Susan Resnick et al., 2006/5 PubMed #16522699 MSID: 216
Some studies of hormone treatment in postmenopausal women suggest benefits on specific cognitive functions, particularly memory.The objective of this study was to determine whether hormone therapy influences changes in specific cognitive functions and affect in older women.This study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.Participants were women from 14 of 40 clinical centers of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI).Postmenopausal women (1416) aged 65 yr and older, free ...
Keywords: Estrogen; Hrt; Cognition; Memory; Mood; Affect
Related Studies: 103

Long-term relationship between specific domains of cognitive function and history of migraine among post-menopausal women: Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study

Approved Proposal, Irby, Megan Bennett et al., 2020/12 MSID: 4317
Keywords: Migraine; Headache; Cognition; Cognitive Impairment; Cognitive Decline
Related Studies: 39, 103

Which biological pathways govern motherhood-related Alzheimer’s Disease resilience

Approved Proposal, Fox, Molly et al., 2024/7 MSID: 5135
Keywords: Reproductive History; Gravidity; Breastfeeding; Alzheimer’S Disease; Neuroimaging; Proteomics; Biomarkers
Related Studies: 103, 183, 233, 244, 712, W64

The Women’s Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging (WHISCA): A randomized clinical trial of the effects of hormone therapy on age-associated cognitive decline

Susan Resnick et al., 2004/10 PubMed #16279282 MSID: 237
The Women's Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging (WHISCA) was a two armed, randomized, placebo controlled, clinical trial designed to assess the efficacy of postmenopausal hormone therapy on age related changes in specific cognitive functions. WHISCA was an ancillary study to the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) and the WHI Memory Study (WHIMS) and enrolled 2302 women aged 66 to 84 years (mean 73.9; standard deviation 3.8) who did not meet criteria for dementia. Women were randomly assigned...
Keywords: Estrogen; Hormone Therapy; Hrt; Cognition; Memory; Mood; Affect
Related Studies: 103

Relative effects of tamoxifen, raloxifene, and conjugated equine estrogens on cognition

Mark Espeland et al., 2010/2 PubMed #20136553 MSID: 579
To compare the relative effects of conjugated equine estrogens (CEE), raloxifene, and tamoxifen therapies on cognition among women aged > or =65 years.Annual Modified Mini-Mental State (3MS) examinations were used to assess global cognitive function in the two randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials of CEE therapies of the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS) and the Cognition in the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (CoSTAR). Analyses were limited to women who had 3MS testing at...
Keywords: Tamoxifen; Raloxifene; Cognition
Related Studies: 103

Association between alcohol intake and domain-specific cognitive function in older women

Mark Espeland et al., 2006/5 PubMed #16717476 MSID: 325
Moderate levels of alcohol intake may be associated with better cognitive function; however, this relationship may vary between cognitive domains. Women, aged 65-80 years, enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) randomized clinical trials of hormone therapy, underwent annual standardized testing for global cognitive function through the ancillary WHI Memory Study (average follow-up of 4.5 years) and domain-specific cognitive function through the WHI Study of Cognitive Aging (average foll...
Keywords: Alcohol Intake; Cognition; Aging
Related Studies: 103

Folate, vitamin B-6, and vitamin B-12 Intake and mild cognitive impairment and probable dementia in the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study

Jessica Agnew-Blais et al., 2014/9 PubMed #25201007 MSID: 1038
Whether higher B vitamin intake (ie, B-6, B-12, and folate) is protective against cognitive decline in later life remains uncertain. Several prospective, observational studies find higher B vitamin intake to be associated with lower risk of dementia; other studies, including most trials of B vitamin supplementation, have observed no effect on cognition. We examined this question in a large population of older women carefully monitored for development of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and probab...
Keywords: Cognitive Decline; Dementia; Folate Intake; Folic Acid Supplementation; Hormone Replacement Therapy
Related Studies: 39, 103

Intraindividual variability in domain-specific cognition and risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia

Anne Leslie Vaughan et al., 2013/12 PubMed #24454359 MSID: 980
Intraindividual variability among cognitive domains may predict dementia independently of interindividual differences in cognition. A multidomain cognitive battery was administered to 2305 older adult women (mean age 74 years) enrolled in an ancillary study of the Women's Health Initiative. Women were evaluated annually for probable dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) for an average of 5.3 years using a standardized protocol. Proportional hazards regression showed that lower baseline do...
Keywords: Cognition; Probable Dementia; Prediction
Related Studies: 103

Weight change and cognitive function: Findings from the Women’s Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging

Ira Driscoll et al., 2011/3 PubMed #21394095 MSID: 914
Although studies exploring relationships between obesity and cognitive impairment in the elderly are conflicting, literature suggests that overweight and obesity may be protective against cognitive impairment and dementia in older women. We examine the associations between changes in weight and waist circumference (WC) with global and domain-specific cognitive function in a large, well-defined cohort of 2,283 older, postmenopausal women (aged 65-79) prospectively followed through the Women's Hea...
Keywords: Cognition; Obesity; Central Adiposity; Weight Change
Related Studies: 103

Cognitive function and fine motor speed in older women with diabetes mellitus: results from the women's health initiative study of cognitive aging.

Mark Espeland et al., 2011/8 PubMed #21819251 MSID: 1229
We sought to determine if type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was associated with accelerated decline in domain-specific measures of cognitive function and fine motor speed.Women aged 65-80 years who were enrolled in a clinical trial of postmenopausal hormone therapy were grouped as having T2DM (n=179) or not (n=1984) and followed for an average of 5 years with annual standardized assessments of domain-specific cognitive function. Mean patterns of cognitive measures over time were contrasted between...
Keywords: Diabetes And Cognition
Related Studies: 103

The influence of social support on cognitive health in older women: a Women's Health Initiative Study

Georgina Moreno et al., 2021/7 PubMed #34252006 MSID: 1267
Social support is associated prospectively with cognitive decline and dementia among the elderly; however, little is known about the impact of social support on healthy neurological aging. The current study investigates whether perceived social support has an influence on neurological health among a large sample of healthy postmenopausal women. Social support and neuropsychological outcomes were measured annually for six years through the Women's Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging. In p...
Keywords: Social Environment; Social Support; Social Integration; Aging; Cognition; Neuropsychology; Structural Mri; Brain Volumes
Related Studies: 39, 103, 183

?-3 fatty acids and domain-specific cognitive aging: secondary analyses of data from WHISCA

Eric Ammann et al., 2013/9 PubMed #24068783 MSID: 1259
To test the hypothesis that higher levels of red blood cell (RBC) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) have a protective association with domain-specific cognitive function in women aged 65 years and older.A total of 2,157 women with normal cognition enrolled in a clinical trial of postmenopausal hormone therapy were followed with annual cognitive testing for a median of 5.9 years. In this retrospective cohort study, we assessed the relationship between prerandomization RBC...
Keywords: Ht; Fatty Acids; Omega-3 Index; Dha; Epa; Acids; Omega-3; Eicosapentaenoic Acid; Docosahexaenoic Acids; Cognition; Aging; Ht; Fatty Acids; Omega-3 Index; Dha; Epa
Related Studies: 103, BA19

Long-term effects of conjugated equine estrogen therapies on domain-specific cognitive function: results from the Women’s Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging Extension

Mark Espeland et al., 2010/7 PubMed #20649689 MSID: 899
To determine whether small decrements in global cognitive function that conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) therapies have been shown to produce in older women persist after cessation and extend to specific cognitive domains.Randomized controlled clinical trial.Fourteen clinical centers of the Women's Health Initiative.Two thousand three hundred four women aged 65 to 80 free of probable dementia at enrollment.CEE 0.625 mg/d with or without medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA, 10 mg/d) and matching pla...
Keywords: Changes In Cognitive Specific Function
Related Studies: 103

Application of hidden Markov models to longitudinal measures of cognition collected by the Women’s Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging

Approved Proposal, Ip, Edward et al., 2007/10 MSID: 695
Keywords: Psychometrics; Cognition; Hidden Markov Model; Longitudinal Data Analysis
Related Studies: 103

Depressive symptoms and longitudinal declines in cognition: Women’s Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging

Joseph Goveas et al., 2014/2 PubMed #24584465 MSID: 1415
Elevated depressive symptoms (DS) are associated with incident mild cognitive impairment and probable dementia in postmenopausal women. We examined the association of elevated DS with domain-specific cognitive changes and the moderating role of cardiovascular risk factor severity and cardiovascular disease (CVD). A total of 2221 elderly women who participated in the Women's Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging were separated into those with (N = 204) and without (N = 2017) elevated DS. The...
Keywords: Vascular Risk Factors And Disease; Depression; Cognitive Domains; Cognitive Decline; Interactions.
Related Studies: 103

Omega-3 fatty acid biomarkers and depressive symptoms

Jane E. Persons et al., 2013/12 PubMed #24338726 MSID: 1746
We sought to determine the relationship between the omega-3 fatty acid content of red blood cell membranes (RBC), in particular docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and baseline and new-onset depressive symptoms in post-menopausal women. We secondarily sought to characterize the association between dietary omega-3 fatty acid intake and depressive symptomatology.Study participants included 7086 members of the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (aged 63-81 years) who had...
Keywords: Omega-3 Fatty Acids; Depression; Hormone Therapy
Related Studies: 103, BA19

Effects of conjugated equine estrogens on cognition and affect in postmenopausal women with prior hysterectomy

Susan Resnick et al., 2009/10 PubMed #19850684 MSID: 598
Different menopausal hormone therapies may have varied effects on specific cognitive functions. We previously reported that conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) with medroxyprogesterone acetate had a negative impact on verbal memory but tended to impact figural memory positively over time in older postmenopausal women.The objective of the study was to determine the effects of unopposed CEE on changes in domain-specific cognitive function and affect in older postmenopausal women with prior hysterect...
Keywords: Estrogen; Ht; Cee; Mpa; Cognition; Memory; Mood; Affect
Related Studies: 103

Vasomotor symptoms and cognitive decline in postmenopausal women

Approved Proposal, Purdue-Smithe, Alexandra et al., 2023/1 MSID: 4856
Keywords: Cognitive Decline; Dementia; Vasomotor Symptoms; Menopausal Symptoms
Related Studies: 39, 103

Adverse reproductive events and cognitive change in postmenopausal women

Approved Proposal, Purdue-Smithe, Alexandra et al., 2022/2 MSID: 4664
Keywords: Cognitive Decline; Dementia; Pregnancy; Parity; Infertility
Related Studies: 39, 103

Objectively defined subtle cognitive decline (OBJ-SCD) and associations with air pollution

Approved Proposal, Petkus, Andrew J. et al., 2022/12 MSID: 4843
Keywords: Air Pollution; Cognitive Aging; Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Mild Cognitive Impairment; And Alzheimer’S Disease And Related Dementia
Related Studies: 39, 103, 183, 244, 252

Plasma proteins related to inflammatory diet predict future cognitive impairment

Michael Duggan et al., 2023/2 PubMed #36737481 MSID: 4396
Dysregulation of the immune system and dietary patterns that increase inflammation can increase the risk for cognitive decline, but the mechanisms by which inflammatory nutritional habits may affect the development of cognitive impairment in aging are not well understood. To determine whether plasma proteins linked to inflammatory diet predict future cognitive impairment, we applied high-throughput proteomic assays to plasma samples from a subset (n = 1528) of Women's Health Initiative Memory St...
Keywords: Inflammation; Dementia; Alzheimer’S Disease; Proteomics; Diet
Related Studies: 39, 103, 183, 233, 244, 262, 615