Estrogen and memory in a transsexual population

The association between administered estrogen and performance on verbal mem ory and other cognitive tasks was examined. Male-to-female transsexuals und ergoing estrogen treatment for sex reassignment (n = 29) scored higher on P aired Associate Learning (PAL) compared to a similar transsexual control gr oup, awaiting estrogen treatment (n = 30) (P < 0.05). No differences betwee n groups receiving and not receiving estrogen were detected on a control me mory task (Digit Span) or on other cognitive tasks including Mental Rotatio ns and Controlled Associations. There were no group differences in age. Gro up differences in mood or in general intellectual ability also did not expl ain the findings. Results suggest a specific influence of estrogen in men o n verbal memory tasks, similar to that seen in prior studies of women. They are discussed in terms of differential processing demands of the two memor y tasks and possible differences between estrogenic influences on Mental Ro tations and Controlled Associations in men versus women, (C) 1998 Academic Press.