Effect of early postmenopause and premenopause on resting-state electroencephalographic and their correlation with ovarian hormone levels.

This study aimed to compare the effect of the early postmenopausal period on resting-state electroencephalographic spectral power with that of the premenopausal period and to analyze the correlation between electroencephalographic spectral power values and endogenous ovarian hormone levels. This study involved 13 early postmenopausal women and 10 premenopausal women in the early follicular, 10 in the ovulatory phase, and 10 in the early luteal phase who underwent resting-state quantitative electroencephalographic spectral power with eyes closed and endogenous ovarian hormone measurements. The delta, theta, alpha1, alpha2, beta1, and beta2 absolute power were compared between the early postmenopausal and premenopausal groups. Correlations between electroencephalographic spectral power values and 17ß estradiol, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone levels were analyzed in early postmenopausal women. Compared with the premenopausal group, the early postmenopausal group showed significantly higher resting-state theta power in the frontal region, alpha1 and alpha2 power in the frontal and central regions, beta1 power in the frontal, central, parietal, and occipital regions, and beta2 power in the centroparietal region. Beta2 power values were positively correlated with FSH levels. The current findings highlight that early postmenopausal women show greater resting-state alpha and beta power, which suggests cortical excitability of fast frequency bands involved in states of alertness, focus of attention, cognition, and emotion. Additionally, we emphasized the effect of FSH levels on fast cortical activation in early postmenopausal women.

Dietary intake of micro- and macronutrients is associated with deficits in executive functioning in young women with high adiposity.

OBJECTIVES: Deficits in cognitive functions dependent on the prefrontal cortex related to the dietary intake of nutrients and adiposity in young individuals are not well known. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of high adiposity on executive functioning and their relationship with dietary intake of macro- and micronutrients in young women. METHODS: Ninety-five young women were categorized based on body fat percentage. The study included 42 women with normal adiposity and 53 women with high adiposity. Executive functions, sustained attention, selective attention, category formation, cognitive flexibility, and verbal fluency test scores were obtained to assess executive functioning. Dietary intake of macro- and micronutrients was measured using three 24-h recalls, and correlated with the test scores. RESULTS: The high-adiposity group was characterized by deficits in executive function, category formation and cognitive flexibility, poor sustained and selective attention, and less verbal fluency. Executive functions were negatively correlated with saturated fat and positively correlated with cholesterol and carbohydrates. Category formation was negatively correlated with saturated fat and vitamin E. Sustained attention was positively correlated with lipids, carbohydrates, and cholesterol. Long reaction times in the selective attention test were positively correlated with unsaturated fat and negatively correlated with vitamin C. Cognitive flexibility test scores were negatively correlated with vitamin E. Cholesterol, vitamin C, and vitamin E were predictors of executive functioning in the high-adiposity group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that impairments in executive functioning may predispose young women to overconsumption of unhealthy nutrients that consequently induces obesity.

High-fat and combined high-fat-high-fructose diets impair episodic-like memory and decrease glutamate and glutamine in the hippocampus of adult mice.

BACKGROUND: Diet-induced obesity is associated with premature cognitive decline. Elevated consumption of fats and sugars in humans and rodents has been associated with deficits in recognition memory, which is modulated by the hippocampus. Alterations in excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in this area have been observed after hypercaloric diets, but the effects on episodic-like memory are not conclusive. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of hypercaloric diets on memory and their relationship with γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate and glutamine and their genetic expression in the hippocampus. DESIGN: A control diet (CD), a high-fat diet (HFD) and a combined high-fat-high-fructose diet (HFFrD) were administered to 30 C57BL/6 adult mice for 10 weeks. The discrimination indexes and exploration time of the novel object recognition (NOR) and novel object location (NOL) tasks were evaluated and GABA, glutamate and glutamine concentrations and their genetic expression were obtained from the hippocampus. RESULTS: The HFFrD induced lower discrimination indexes, decreased exploration time in the recognition memory tasks, and lowered the concentrations of glutamate and glutamine, and HFD increased their expression in the hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that a possible adaptative long-term mechanism in the hippocampal neurotransmitters, and this possibility may underlie the episodic-like memory deficits in mice fed HFD and HFFrD.

Deficiency in the Essential Amino Acids l-Isoleucine, l-Leucine and l-Histidine and Clinical Measures as Predictors of Moderate Depression in Elderly Women: A Discriminant Analysis Study.

Increases in depression are common in some elderly women. Elderly women often show moderate depressive symptoms, while others display minimal depressive symptoms. These discrepancies have produced contradictory and inconclusive outcomes, which have not been explained entirely by deficits in neurotransmitter precursors. Deficiency in some amino acids have been implicated in major depression, but its role in non-clinical elderly women is not well known. An analysis of essential amino acids, depression and the use of discriminant analysis can help to clarify the variation in depressive symptoms exhibited by some elderly women. The aim was to investigate the relationship of essential amino acids with affective, cognitive and comorbidity measures in elderly women without major depression nor severe mood disorders or psychosis, specifically thirty-six with moderate depressive symptoms and seventy-one with minimal depressive symptoms. The plasma concentrations of nineteen amino acids, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores, Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) scores, global cognitive scores and comorbidities were submitted to stepwise discriminant analysis to identify predictor variables. Seven predictors arose as important for belong to the group based on amino acid concentrations, with the moderate depressive symptoms group characterized by higher BDI, GDS and cognitive scores; fewer comorbidities; and lower levels of l-histidine, l-isoleucine and l-leucine. These findings suggest that elderly women classified as having moderate depressive symptoms displayed a deficiency in essential amino acids involved in metabolism, protein synthesis, inflammation and neurotransmission.

Slow electroencephalographic oscillations and behavioral measures as predictors of high executive processing in early postmenopausal females: A discriminant analysis approach.

Decline in cognitive function is frequent in early postmenopause. There are postmenopausal females who show high performance while others display low performance in executive function, modulated by the prefrontal cortex. These differences have led to confusing and inconclusive results, which have not been explained entirely by the decline in estrogens, which affect the prefrontal cortex functions. An analysis of brain function and the application of a discriminant analysis can help to clarify the deficits in executive function shown by some postmenopausal females. The objective was to examine electroencephalographic recording during the performance of an executive function test in early postmenopausal females, ten with a high level of performance and ten with a low level of performance. Absolute power of delta, theta, alpha1, alpha2, beta1 and beta2 and the numbers of completed categories, trials, perseverative errors and overall errors were submitted to stepwise discriminant analysis to identify predictor variables. Four predictors emerged as significant of group membership based on cognitive performance, with the high-performance group characterized by more completed categories, more delta power, less theta power and more alpha1 power. These findings suggest that postmenopausal females classified in the high-performance group displayed appropriate temporary activation in slow oscillations during executive processing.

Facial Sadness Recognition is Modulated by Estrogen Receptor Gene Polymorphisms in Healthy Females.

Polymorphisms of the estrogen receptor ESR1 and ESR2 genes have been linked with cognitive deficits and affective disorders. The effects of these genetic variants on emotional processing in females with low estrogen levels are not well known. The aim was to explore the impact of the ESR1 and ESR2 genes on the responses to the facial emotion recognition task in females. Postmenopausal healthy female volunteers were genotyped for the polymorphisms Xbal and PvuII of ESR1 and the polymorphism rs1256030 of ESR2. The effect of these polymorphisms on the response to the facial emotion recognition of the emotions happiness, sadness, disgust, anger, surprise, and fear was analyzed. Females carrying the P allele of the PvuII polymorphism or the X allele of the Xbal polymorphism of ESR1 easily recognized facial expressions of sadness that were more difficult for the women carrying the p allele or the x allele. They displayed higher accuracy, fast response time, more correct responses, and fewer omissions to complete the task, with a large effect size. Women carrying the ESR2 C allele of ESR2 showed a faster response time for recognizing facial expressions of anger. These findings link ESR1 and ESR2 polymorphisms in facial emotion recognition of negative emotions.

Modulation of the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism on resting-state EEG power.

The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val(158)Met polymorphism impacts cortical dopamine (DA) levels and may influence cortical electrical activity in the human brain. This study investigated whether COMT genotype influences resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) power in the frontal, parietal and midline regions in healthy volunteers. EEG recordings were conducted in the resting-state in 13 postmenopausal healthy woman carriers of the Val/Val genotype and 11 with the Met/Met genotype. The resting EEG spectral absolute power in the frontal (F3, F4, F7, F8, FC3 and FC4), parietal (CP3, CP4, P3 and P4) and midline (Fz, FCz, Cz, CPz, Pz and Oz) was analyzed during the eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions. The frequency bands considered were the delta, theta, alpha1, alpha2, beta1 and beta2. EEG data of the Val/Val and Met/Met genotypes, brain regions and conditions were analyzed using a general linear model analysis. In the individuals with the Met/Met genotype, delta activity was increased in the eyes-closed condition, theta activity was increased in the eyes-closed and in the eyes-open conditions, and alpha1 band, alpha2 band and beta1band activity was increased in the eyes-closed condition. A significant interaction between COMT genotypes and spectral bands was observed. Met homozygote individuals exhibited more delta, theta and beta1 activity than individuals with the Val/Val genotype. No significant interaction between COMT genotypes and the resting-state EEG regional power and conditions were observed for the three brain regions studied. Our findings indicate that the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism does not directly impact resting-state EEG regional power, but instead suggest that COMT genotype can modulate resting-state EEG spectral power in postmenopausal healthy women.

Executive functions and selective attention are favored in middle-aged healthy women carriers of the Val/Val genotype of the catechol-o-methyltransferase gene: a behavioral genetic study.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive deficits such as poor memory, the inability to concentrate, deficits in abstract reasoning, attention and set-shifting flexibility have been reported in middle-aged women. It has been suggested that cognitive decline may be due to several factors which include hormonal changes, individual differences, normal processes of aging and age-related changes in dopaminergic neurotransmission. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), a common functional polymorphism, has been related to executive performance in young healthy volunteers, old subjects and schizophrenia patients. The effect of this polymorphism on cognitive function in middle-aged healthy women is not well known. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether measures of executive function, sustained attention, selective attention and verbal fluency would be different depending on the COMT genotype and task demand. METHOD: We genotyped 74 middle-aged healthy women (48 to 65 years old) for the COMT Val158Met polymorphism. We analyzed the effects of this polymorphism on executive functions (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test), selective attention (Stroop test), sustained attention (Continuous Performance Test) and word generation (Verbal Fluency test), which are cognitive functions that involve the frontal lobe. RESULTS: There were 27 women with the Val/Val COMT genotype, 15 with the Met/Met genotype, and 32 with the Val/Met genotype. Women carriers of the Val/Val genotype performed better in executive functions, as indicated by a lower number of errors committed in comparison with the Met/Met or Val/Met groups. The correct responses on selective attention were higher in the Val/Val group, and the number of errors committed was higher in the Met/Met group during the incongruence trial in comparison with the Val/Val group. Performance on sustained attention and the number of words generated did not show significant differences between the three genotypes. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that middle-aged women carriers of the Val158 allele, associated with high-activity COMT, showed significant advantage over Met allele in executive processes and cognitive flexibility. These results may help to explain, at least in part, individual differences in cognitive decline in middle-aged women with dopamine-related genes.

Stress profile, coping style, anxiety, depression, and gastric emptying as predictors of functional dyspepsia: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether gastric emptying, stomach peristaltic frequencies, stress profile, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and salivary cortisol levels could predict functional dyspepsia (FD). METHODS: Magnetogastrography (MGG) was used to measure gastric emptying time and the gastric peristaltic frequencies in 15 patients with FD diagnosis and in 17 healthy volunteers. In all the participants, stress profile, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were evaluated by means of standardized questionnaires, and morning salivary samples were collected for the measurement of cortisol levels. A univariate logistic regression model was used to examine the probability of the measured variables to predict the presence of FD. RESULTS: The univariate logistic regression model showed that the half-time of gastric emptying (OR=1.16 P=.01); the subscale of stress items (OR=1.08, P=.003); negative appraisal of subscale coping strategies (OR=1.03, P=0.007); anxiety (OR=1.05, P=.01); and depression (OR=1.23, P=.02) had a significant predictive value for the presence of FD. However, by applying the stricter multiple comparison criteria, only stress, negative appraisal, and anxiety arose as predictors of FD. The FD patients compared with healthy volunteers showed significantly elevated half-time of gastric emptying (P<.0006), high scores in the subscales of stress (P<.000003), in behavior type "A" (P<.04), in coping styles (P<.008), in depression (P<.0004), and in anxiety (P<.0002). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that psychosocial stress, mood symptoms, and coping style are predictors of FD. The stress shows high sensibility and specificity in the patients with FD, indicating a contribution in the etiopathogenesis of dyspepsia.

Atención sostenida asociada con hormonas ováricas en mujeres en la premenopausia y posmenopausia / Sustained attention associated to ovarian hormones in premenopausal and posmenopausal women

El objetivo fue asociar la atención sostenida medida con la Prueba de Ejecución Continua con los niveles hormonales de LH, FSH, progesterona, estrona y estradiol en 10 mujeres en la posmenopausia y 10 en la premenopausia. Este último grupo fue evaluado en la fase menstrual, con bajos niveles hormonales y en la fase ovulatoria, con altos niveles hormonales. Se analizó el número de aciertos, errores, omisiones y tiempo de reacción en dos niveles de dificultad de la prueba. El número de aciertos en el segundo nivel de dificultad de la prueba de las mujeres premenopáusicas, en fase ovulatoria, fue mayor (p=0.019) y cometieron menos errores (p=0.019) comparadas con las mujeres en la posmenopausia. En la posmenopausia, el número de aciertos se asoció positivamente con la progesterona (p<0.0001), FSH (p<0.001) y estrona (p<0.0001) y negativamente con LH (p<0.03). En la premenopausia, en fase menstrual, los aciertos se asociaron negativamente con progesterona (p<0.0001), LH (p<0.0001) y estrona (p<0.0001). En la fase ovulatoria, los aciertos se asociaron positivamente con FSH (p<0.0001), progesterona (p<0.0001) y estrona (p<0.0001) y negativamente con LH (p<0.0001). Estos resultados sugieren que las hormonas sexuales pueden influir en la atención sostenida en mujeres en la transición hacia la menopausia.

The aim was to associate the sustained attention, measured by means of the Continuous Performance Test with hormonal levels of FSH, LH, progesterone, estradiol and estrone, in ten posmenopausal women and ten premenopausal women. This last group was evaluated in menstrual phase, with low hormonal levels, and during the ovulatory phase, with high hormonal levels. The number of correct responses, errors, omissions and reaction time during two levels of difficult of the test were obtained. The number of correct responses made by the premenopausal women in the ovulatory phase was high (p=0.019),and they committed less errors (p=0.019) during the second level of difficult of test compared with posmenopausal women. In the posmenopause, the number of correct responses was positively associated with progesterone (p<0.0001), FSH(p<0.001), and estrone (p<0.0001), and negatively associated with LH (p<0.03). In the premenopause, in menstrual phase, the correct responses were negatively associated with progesterone (p<0.0001), LH (p<0.0001) and estrone (p<0.0001). In the ovulatory phase, the correct responses were positively correlated with FSH (p<0.0001), progesterone (p<0.0001) and estrone (p<0.0001), and negatively with LH (p<0.0001). These findings suggest that the sex hormones may influence on sustained attention in women in transition to menopause.

Coincident frequencies and relative phases among brain activity and hormonal signals.

BACKGROUND: Fourier transform is a basic tool for analyzing biological signals and is computed for a finite sequence of data sample. The electroencephalographic (EEG) signals analyzed with this method provide only information based on the frequency range, for short periods. In some cases, for long periods it can be useful to know whether EEG signals coincide or have a relative phase between them or with other biological signals. Some studies have evidenced that sex hormones and EEG signals show oscillations in their frequencies across a period of 28 days; so it seems of relevance to seek after possible patterns relating EEG signals and endogenous sex hormones, assumed as long time-periodic functions to determine their typical periods, frequencies and relative phases. METHODS: In this work we propose a method that can be used to analyze brain signals and hormonal levels and obtain frequencies and relative phases among them. This method involves the application of a discrete Fourier Transform on previously reported datasets of absolute power of brain signals delta, theta, alpha1, alpha2, beta1 and beta2 and the endogenous estrogen and progesterone levels along 28 days. RESULTS: Applying the proposed method to exemplary datasets and comparing each brain signal with both sex hormones signals, we found a characteristic profile of coincident periods and typical relative phases. For the corresponding coincident periods the progesterone seems to be essentially in phase with theta, alpha1, alpha2 and beta1, while delta and beta2 go oppositely. For the relevant coincident periods, the estrogen goes in phase with delta and theta and goes oppositely with alpha2. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that the procedure applied here provides a method to analyze typical frequencies, or periods and phases between signals with the same period. It generates specific patterns for brain signals and hormones and relations among them.