Memory Loss and Thyroid Function
Every cell in the body, including cells in the brain, contains receptors for thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones can stimulate and change the structure of particular regions of the brain, such as the hippocampus, the area primarily responsible for learning and memory.1,2 They also modulate enzymes that regulate the metabolic rate of brain cells.
Temporary memory loss is a classic symptom of hypothyroidism, a condition arising from inadequate production of hormones by the thyroid gland, or from decreased peripheral conversion of the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4) into triiodothyronine (T3) in the kidney or the liver.
Fortunately, memory loss caused by thyroid hormone imbalances can often be effectively treated. As a recent case study illustrates, proper diagnostic testing is crucial, because memory loss may be the only symptom of thyroid insufficiency, and may occur without any other physical signs of thyroid imbalance.3
Even sublinical thyroid imbalances can affect mental ability. Evidence indicates that as levels of thyroid hormone thyroxine decrease, cognitive function generally declines.4 Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden found that levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) correlate with episodic memory performance in healthy men and women over the age of 75.5 They speculated that TSH may actually help the brain encode and store memory. Another study reported that memory loss was the only cognitive symptom of subclinical hypothyroidism in a group of female patients with goiter, and was effectively alleviated with thyroid hormone treatment.6
For these reasons, optimizing thyroid function is considered an important tool for anti-aging therapies designed to safeguard memory and cognitive function.7
Link
On GDSL thyroid assessment
http://web.archive.org/web/20060328012531/www.gsdl.com/home/assessments/thyroid/index.html
The company has changed its name to Genova Diagnostics and the site is
here.
