MENOPAUSAL HOT FLASHES

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. To develop a primate model of menopausal hot flashes. More than 30 million women in the U.S. suffer from menopausal hot flashes, which are associated with severe discomfort, sleep loss, fatigue and, possibly, depression. Although hormone replacement therapy is an effective treatment for hot flashes, most women do not receive it due to a fear of cancer. A better understanding of the causes of hot flashes will aid in the development of improved treatments. We have shown that hot flashes are triggered by small fluctuations in body temperature acting on a thermostat that is too tightly regulated. Since the thermostat (hypothalamus) is located in the middle of the brain, it is not easily studied in humans. We are studying whether we can replicate human indicators of hot flashes, such as increased skin temperature and sweating, in rhesus monkey models of menopause. This research used WNPRC Animal Services and Aging Resources.