Executive functions in men and postmenopausal women

Nathalie Castonguay (1) , Maxime Lussier (2, 1) , Aurélia Bugaiska (1) , Catherine Lord (1) , Louis Bherer (1)

1 CRIUGM - Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montreal
2 Phoenix - Programming Language Technology For Communication Services

Introduction. This study was designed to assess sex differences in older adults (55–65 years old) in executive functions and to examine the influence of hormone therapy (HT) in postmenopausal women. Method. We have assessed task performance in memory, visuospatial, and executive functions in 29 women using HT, 29 women who never used HT, and 30 men. Results. Men outperformed never users in task switching and updating. HT users outperformed never users in updating. HT users outperformed never users and men in visual divided attention. Discussion. The present study support previous findings that sex and HT impact cognition and bring new insights on sex and HT-related differences in executive functions.

Mots clés: Hormone therapy; Sex differences; Executive functions; Cognitive aging; Postmenopausal women

Domaines: Neurosciences; Psychologie

Nathalie Castonguay, Maxime Lussier, Aurélia Bugaiska, Catherine Lord, Louis Bherer. Executive functions in men and postmenopausal women. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 2015, 37 (2), ⟨10.1080/13803395.2014.1000267⟩. ⟨hal-01241338⟩