LOVE 2013 Programme with Abstracts (PDF) - Judith M Shedden ...

ELIZABETH HAMPSONModulation of working memoryby estrogen levels in womenAbstract: Elizabeth Hampson is a professor at the University of WesternOntario, and holds appointments in both Psychology and Psychiatry.She is also a member of the interdisciplinary program in Neuroscience.A clinical neuropsychologist by training, she studies the effects ofandrogens and estrogens in the human brain. A large body of work inlaboratory animals over the past few decades has revealed that estrogenis a potent neuromodulator in several regions of the central nervoussystem. Much less is known about the sites or actions of this hormonein humans, or its effects at the functional level in terms of its effects onmemory and cognition, motivational processes, and effects on affectivestates or mood. This L.O.V.E. presentation will discuss the hypothesisthat sites in the prefrontal cortex may be among the significant sites ofestrogen activity in the human brain. Using data from our lab and otherlabs, I will describe the effects of menopause, hormone replacementtherapy, the menstrual cycle, and pregnancy/postpartum changes incirculating estrogen levels on a prototypical frontal lobe function,working memory.3