HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Correspondence: Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Correspondence are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ross, J. L. Articles by Cutler, G. B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ross, J. L. Articles by Cutler, G. B., Jr.

Use of estrogen in young girls with Turner syndrome

Effects on memory

From the Department of Pediatrics (Dr. Ross), Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA; the Neurology Department (Dr. Roeltgen), Pennsylvania State College of Medicine at Hershey, PA, and Susquehanna Health Systems, Williamsport, PA; the Developmental Endocrinology Branch (Dr. Feuillan), NICHD, NIH, Bethesda, MD; the Biostatistics Department (Dr. Kushner), Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, PA; and the Developmental Endocrinology Branch (Dr. Cutler), NICHD, NIH, Bethesda, MD.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Judith L. Ross, Department of Pediatrics, Thomas Jefferson University, 1025 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19107; e-mail: Ross4{at}jeflin.tju.edu

BACKGROUND: The Turner syndrome (TS) phenotype is characterized by a specific neurocognitive profile of normal verbal skills, impaired visual-spatial and visual-perceptual abilities, and impaired nonverbal more than verbal memory. We compared verbal and nonverbal memory in estrogen- and placebo-treated girls with TS (ages 7 to 9 years) and age-matched female controls.

METHODS: Children received either estrogen (ethinyl estradiol, 25 ng/kg/d) or placebo for 1 to 3 years (mean, 2.1 ± 0.9 years) in a randomized, double-blind study. Memory and language tasks administered included the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Revised, Digit Span (forward and backward), the Children’s Word List, the Denman Paragraph, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Boston Naming, immediate and delayed Recall of the Rey Complex Figure, Nonword Reading, Wide Range Achievement Test–Revised reading subtest, Verbal fluency, and the Token Test.

RESULTS: The estrogen-treated TS group performed better than the placebo-treated TS group for the Children’s Word List immediate and delayed recall and the Digit Span backwards test (p < 0.01 to 0.04), although the results were not significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons. The placebo-treated TS group performed less well than the controls for recall of Digit Span backward (p < 0.0001; placebo-treated, 2.8 ± 1.3; estrogen-treated, 3.4 ± 1.2; and controls, 4.2 ± 1.3) and immediate and delayed recall of the Children’s Word List (delayed recall, p < 0.0001; placebo-treated, 6.2 ± 3.1; estrogen-treated, 8.0 ± 2.9; and controls, 9.0 ± 2.9). Performance for these measures was similar for the estrogen-treated TS group and the control group.

CONCLUSIONS: Estrogen replacement therapy in young girls with Turner Syndrome is associated with improved verbal and nonverbal memory. The optimal patient age, dose, and duration of estrogen replacement require further study.

Key words: Turner syndrome—Estrogen—Cholinergic systems—Memory

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. A. Bondy and for The Turner Syndrome Consensus Study Group Care of Girls and Women with Turner Syndrome: A Guideline of the Turner Syndrome Study Group J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., January 1, 2007; 92(1): 10 - 25. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. B. Sherwin Estrogen and Cognitive Functioning in Women Endocr. Rev., April 1, 2003; 24(2): 133 - 151. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. L. Ross, D. Roeltgen, G. A. Stefanatos, P. Feuillan, H. Kushner, C. Bondy, and G. B. Cutler Jr. Androgen-Responsive Aspects of Cognition in Girls with Turner Syndrome J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., January 1, 2003; 88(1): 292 - 296. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. A. Quigley, B. J. Crowe, D. G. Anglin, and J. J. Chipman Growth Hormone and Low Dose Estrogen in Turner Syndrome: Results of a United States Multi-Center Trial to Near-Final Height J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., May 1, 2002; 87(5): 2033 - 2041. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. L. Ross, G. A. Stefanatos, H. Kushner, A. Zinn, C. Bondy, and D. Roeltgen Persistent cognitive deficits in adult women with Turner syndrome Neurology, January 22, 2002; 58(2): 218 - 225. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Asthana, L. D. Baker, S. Craft, F. Z. Stanczyk, R. C. Veith, M. A. Raskind, and S. R. Plymate High-dose estradiol improves cognition for women with AD: Results of a randomized study Neurology, August 28, 2001; 57(4): 605 - 612. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Saenger, K. A. Wikland, G. S. Conway, M. Davenport, C. H. Gravholt, R. Hintz, O. Hovatta, M. Hultcrantz, K. Landin-Wilhelmsen, A. Lin, et al. Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Management of Turner Syndrome J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., July 1, 2001; 86(7): 3061 - 3069. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Marder and M. Sano Estrogen to treat Alzheimer's disease: Too little, too late?: So what's a woman to do? Neurology, June 13, 2000; 54(11): 2035 - 2037. [Full Text] [PDF]