Zeitschrift für Frauengesundheit
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Role of 17?-Estradiol in Learning and Memory

Paola Rossi and Valentina Cesaroni

Ovarian hormones regulate a wide variety of non-reproductive functions in the central nervous system by interacting with several molecular and cellular processes. Estrogens are steroid hormones that are synthesized in the gonads [peripherally-synthesized or “neuroactive steroids”] as well as in various tissues throughout the body, including the brain [brain-synthetized or “neurosteroids”]. 17β-Estradiol [E2] is the most potent and predominant form of estrogen. E2 has a number of effects on cognition and brain function. The effects on memory depend on hormone levels and on binding to different estrogen receptors within neural circuits.
The purpose of this review is to highlight the complex relationship between E2 and cognitive functioning, analyzing the difference of effects described by observational studies compared to randomized controlled large-scale clinical trials. We review how E2 signaling affects memory processes: it starts from neurons and reaches superior learning and memory function through the effect on synapses and on the neuronal network.