Women’s Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging
The goal of WHISCA was to determine the effect of hormone therapy on age-related declines in cognition in women 65 years and older who had not received diagnoses of dementia.
Secondary goals of WHISCA were to:
- Determine the rates of change in memory and other cognitive functions in a large cohort of elderly women and in subgroups defined by age, ethnicity and cognitive function at entry;
- Identify predictors of cognitive changes;
- Identify predictors of dementia and cognitive impairment and to characterize the transition from normal aging to cognitive impairment to dementia through the interface with the WHIMS adjudicated diagnoses of probable dementia and mild cognitive impairment.
- Start Year
- 1999
- End Year
- 2007
Visit WHISCA
| Investigators | Contacts |
|---|---|
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Design
- Study design
- Clinical trial
- Follow Up
-
The participants were followed-up annually.
- Supplementary Information
-
WHISCA was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial.
Marker Paper
Resnick SM, Coker LH, Maki PM, et al. The Women's Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging (WHISCA): a randomized clinical trial of the effects of hormone therapy on age-associated cognitive decline. Clinical trials, 2004; 1(5): 440-50.
PUBMED 16279282
Recruitment
- Recruitment Target
-
- Individuals
Number of Participants
- Number of Participants
- 2,302
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
Access
Availability of data and biosamples
| Possible Access to Data | |
| Possible Access to Biosamples | |
| Other |
Timeline
Populations
The participants in the estrogen hormone therapy group (conjugated equine estrogens 0.625mg/day) were hysterectomized women, enrolled in the WHIMS study and the HRT trial of the WHI, who were aged 66 to 84 years at the time of WHISCA enrollment in 1999-2001.
Selection Criteria
- Sex
-
Women
- Minimum age
-
66
- Maximum age
-
84
- Newborns
- Twins
- Countries
-
- United States of America
- Other Criteria
-
To participate, a woman had to be postmenopausal and hysterectomized and free from probable dementia.
Recruitment
- Sources of recruitment
-
- Participants from existing studies
- Supplementary Information
-
Participants to WHISCA were recruited through mailings and at WHIMS clinic visits.
- Participants from Existing Studies
-
- Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS), Women's Health Initiative (WHI)
Number of Participants
- Number of Participants
- 434
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
Data Collection Events
| # | Name | Description | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 |
WHISCA - Baseline
|
Detailed cognitive function and affect assessments occurred during WHISCA baseline. Tests were chosen based on their sensitivity to age-related and hormone-related changes and included tests on ... |
1999-10 | 2001-06 |
| 1 |
WHISCA - Follow-up
|
Detailed cognitive function and affect assessments occurred during each WHISCA visit. Tests were chosen based on their sensitivity to age-related and hormone-related changes and included tests ... |
2000-10 | 2007-04 |
The participants in the placebo group were women, with or without a uterus, enrolled in the WHIMS study and the HRT trial of the WHI, who were aged 66 to 84 years at the time of WHISCA enrollment in 1999-2001.
Selection Criteria
- Sex
-
Women
- Minimum age
-
66
- Maximum age
-
84
- Newborns
- Twins
- Countries
-
- United States of America
- Other Criteria
-
To participate, a woman had to be postmenopausal and free from probable dementia.
Recruitment
- Sources of recruitment
-
- Participants from existing studies
- Supplementary Information
-
Participants to WHISCA were recruited through mailings and at WHIMS clinic visits.
- Participants from Existing Studies
-
- Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS), Women's Health Initiative (WHI)
Number of Participants
- Number of Participants
- 1,178
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
Data Collection Events
| # | Name | Description | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 |
WHISCA - Baseline
|
Detailed cognitive function and affect assessments occurred during WHISCA baseline. Tests were chosen based on their sensitivity to age-related and hormone-related changes and included tests on ... |
1999-10 | 2001-06 |
| 1 |
WHISCA - Follow-up
|
Detailed cognitive function and affect assessments occurred during each WHISCA visit. Tests were chosen based on their sensitivity to age-related and hormone-related changes and included tests ... |
2000-10 | 2007-04 |
The participants in the estrogen plus progesterone hormone therapy group (conjugated equine estrogens 0.625 mg/day and medroxyprogesterone acetate 2.5 mg/day) were women, with a uterus, enrolled in the WHIMS study and the HRT trial of the WHI, who were aged 66 to 84 years of WHISCA enrollment in 1999-2001.
Selection Criteria
- Sex
-
Women
- Minimum age
-
66
- Maximum age
-
84
- Newborns
- Twins
- Countries
-
- United States of America
- Other Criteria
-
To participate, a woman had to be postmenopausal with an intact uterus and free from probable dementia.
Recruitment
- Sources of recruitment
-
- Participants from existing studies
- Supplementary Information
-
Participants to WHISCA were recruited through mailings and at WHIMS clinic visits.
- Participants from Existing Studies
-
- Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS), Women's Health Initiative (WHI)
Number of Participants
- Number of Participants
- 690
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
Data Collection Events
| # | Name | Description | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 |
WHISCA - Baseline
|
Detailed cognitive function and affect assessments occurred during WHISCA baseline. Tests were chosen based on their sensitivity to age-related and hormone-related changes and included tests on ... |
1999-10 | 2001-06 |
| 1 |
WHISCA - Follow-up
|
Detailed cognitive function and affect assessments occurred during each WHISCA visit. Tests were chosen based on their sensitivity to age-related and hormone-related changes and included tests ... |
2000-10 | 2007-04 |
Classifications
- Socio-demographic and economic characteristics
- Lifestyle and behaviours
- Birth, pregnancy and reproductive health history
- Perception of health, quality of life, development and functional limitations
- Diseases
- Symptoms and signs
- Medication and supplements
- Non-pharmacological interventions
- Health and community care services utilization
- Death
- Physical measures and assessments
- Laboratory measures
- Cognition, personality and psychological measures and assessments
- Life events, life plans, beliefs and values
- Preschool, school and work life
- Social environment and relationships
- Physical environment
- Administrative information
- Cognitive functioning
- Personality
- Psychological distress and emotions
- Other psychological measures and assessments
- Tobacco
- Alcohol
- Drugs
- Nutrition
- Breastfeeding
- Physical activity
- Sleep
- Sexual behaviours and orientation
- Technological devices
- Misbehaviour and criminality
- Other and unspecified lifestyle information
Socio-demographic and economic characteristics
Lifestyle and behaviours
Diseases
Symptoms and signs
Medication and supplements
Non-pharmacological interventions
Health and community care services utilization
Physical measures and assessments
Laboratory measures
Cognition, personality and psychological measures and assessments
Social environment and relationships
Administrative information
Cognitive functioning
Psychological distress and emotions
Alcohol