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Estrogen receptor involvement in vascular cognitive impairment and vascular dementia pathogenesis and treatment

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Abstract

Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) is a term that encompasses a continuum of cognitive disorders with cerebrovascular pathology contribution, ranging from mild cognitive impairment to vascular dementia (VaD). VCI and VaD, thus, represent an interesting intersection between cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and a rising area of research in recent years. Although VCI and VaD research has identified various causes and explanations for disease development, many aspects remain unclear, particularly sex differences in VCI (e.g., epidemiology), unlike those available for cardiovascular disease and AD. Despite limited information in the literature, several studies have observed an association of estrogen receptor (ER) polymorphisms and VaD. If further explored, this association could provide valuable insights for novel therapeutic approaches. This review aims to provide a brief epidemiological overview and subsequent discussion exploring concepts of brain aging and involvement of estrogen receptors in potential mechanisms of VCI/VaD pathogenesis and treatment development.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging T32 grant AG020494 and R01 HL142341.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology and Anatomy, UNT Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, TX, 76107, USA

    Dianna H. Nguyen & J. Thomas Cunningham

  2. Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, UNT Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA

    Dianna H. Nguyen

  3. Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, UNT Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA

    Nathalie Sumien

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  1. Dianna H. Nguyen
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Correspondence to J. Thomas Cunningham.

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Nguyen, D.H., Cunningham, J.T. & Sumien, N. Estrogen receptor involvement in vascular cognitive impairment and vascular dementia pathogenesis and treatment. GeroScience 43, 159–166 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-020-00263-4

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