The New York Memory & Healthy Aging Services has completed recruitment for a FDA approved research study on the treatment of menopause related memory loss. Over half of all menopausal women experience these symptoms. Treatment may be difficult in those women who choose not to go on or do not tolerate hormone replacement.  There was a need to explore alternative non-hormonal treatments for this problem.  Dr. Gayatri Devi who has a decade of experience in this field headed this study. The results are pending as we go through data analyses. 
 
Women who qualified for the study were able to avail themselves of several benefits without out-of-pocket expenses including: 
 
A printed report of cognitive and memory function, identifying intellectual strengths and weaknesses
 
A thorough neurologic evaluation
 
Half the women in the study received a non-hormonal drug that is being evaluated for treatment in this condition
 
The data from this study is currently being analyzed and the results will be made available shortly.
 
For more information about what this study entailed, you may call the New York Memory and Healthy Aging Services at (212) 517-6881 or visit www.nymemory.org.

STUDY TITLE:
 
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study on the tolerability and efficacy of donepezil in the treatment of memory and cognitive loss of menopause.
 
STUDY PURPOSE:
 
You are invited to participate in a research study of the treatment of memory loss and reduced thinking ability in menopausal women.  Women in menopause have symptoms including hot flashes, vaginal dryness and memory loss. Between one-half and three-quarters of menopausal women experience trouble with memory and thinking ability, possibly due to reductions in brain levels of estrogen and a brain chemical called acetylcholine. Replacement treatment with the hormone estrogen treats over half of all women with menopausal symptoms.  However, only 20% of menopausal women who have symptoms use estrogen, partly due to concerns about side effects of the hormone estrogen.  
 
Effective alternatives to estrogen replacement have been found for some symptoms of menopause, but a non-hormonal treatment for memory loss has not yet been studied.  This study will investigate the usefulness of the non-hormonal treatment, donepezil, as compared to a placebo, for treating menopausal memory loss.  Donepezil is a prescription medication that raises brain levels of acetylcholine and has been effective in the treatment of other types of memory loss. This study is now closed.