However, recent, evidence from imaging studies lends further support for a positive benefit of estrogen on cognitive functioning. In cortical regions typically hypometabolic in AD, Ebcrling et al221 found that older women who had never taken estrogen exhibited metabolic

ratios intermediate to those of AD patients and women on ERT. Similarly, a longitudinal Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical assessment of regional cerebral blood flow changes observed increased flow over time in estrogen users compared with nonusers, particularly in the hippocampus and temporal lobes.222 Since the decision to take ERT may be impacted by education and socioeconomic variables, randomized clinical trials are needed to systematically address the merits of estrogen for cognitive processing in older women. To date, there have been a limited number of randomized clinical trials of estrogen use in healthy individuals, with the majority short-term in duration and often investigating younger adults.215,223 Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Data from large, long-term, randomized clinical trials in this population

are required before we can adequately assess the long-term benefits of estrogen use on cognition as well as its role in AD prevention. Neuronal degeneration Several clinical trials with nootropics, such as piracetam, have been conducted in older adults, and Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical a significant positive impact of piracetam on both memory and attentional functions was observed.224-226 Additionally, two

studies have investigated the affect, of 4.8 Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical g/day of piracetam on the driving ability of elderly adults exhibiting deficits in buy Doxorubicin psychomotor speed at, baseline. While some investigators found that treatment with piracetam reduced the numbers of errors committed in real traffic, still others observed no benefit of piracetam on driving performance.62,227 The few studies conducted with pramiracetam in this population Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical have also observed improvements in memory performance relative to placebo.228,229 Nonpharmacological treatments for normal aging Memory training Studies Electron transport chain from several groups including our own have documented the efficacy of providing cognitive training aimed at instructing older adults to use mnemonics for practical problems such as recall of names, faces, and lists. 230-234 However, some have criticized such interventions because the effects demonstrated have often been modest and shortterm.235 Furthermore, only a few studies have examined whether the benefits of memory training programs persist for longer periods and these have yielded mixed results.236-238 Additionally, it is unclear whether or not, subjects continue to employ the mnemonic technique acquired and whether this reported use of the mnemonic affects memory function. Several investigators found that at follow-up subjects had ceased to apply the mnemonic techniques acquired.