The focus of my research is investigating the neural basis of age-related cognitive dysfunction, with a particular emphasis on cognitive changes related to menopause and the effects of ovarian hormone therapy to protect both cognitive and neurobiologic profiles. My laboratory employs several different approaches to investigate monkey models of menopause. Longitudinal cognitive assessments are made to determine how estrogen therapy, or lack of therapy, affects memory, executive function and attention processes. In tandem with our cognitive evaluations, we use pharmacologic, neuroanatomic, and functional imaging approaches to determine the neural basis of hormone effects on cognitive function. By combining cognitive and neurobiological approaches we can determine the temporal sequence of changes induced by hormonal states.

Coming soon . .

Kastman EK, Willette AA, Coe CL, Bendlin BB, Kosmatka KJ, McLaren DG, Xu G, Canu E, Field AS, Voytko ML, et al. A calorie-restricted diet decreases brain iron accumulation and preserves motor performance in old rhesus monkeys. J Neurosci. 2010; 30(23):7940-7947.

Voytko ML. Session summaries and abstracts from the 11th Biennial Graylyn Conference on women’s cognitive health, 24-26 October 2007. Age (Dordr). 2009; 31(3):231-255.

Voytko ML, Murray R, Higgs CJ. Executive function and attention are preserved in older surgically menopausal monkeys receiving estrogen or estrogen plus progesterone. J Neurosci. 2009; 29(33):10362-70.

Voytko ML, Tinkler GP, Browne C, Tobin JR. Neuroprotective effects of estrogen therapy for cognitive and neurobiological profiles of monkey models of menopause. Am J Primatol. 2009; 71(9):794-801.

Browne C, Tobin JR, Voytko ML. Effects of two years of conjugated equine estrogens on cholinergic neurons in young and middle-aged ovariectomized monkeys. Brain Res. 2009; 1264():13-23.

Voytko ML. Women’s cognitive health special edition [editorial]. Age (Dordr). 2009; 31(3):189-190.

Voytko ML, Higgs CJ, Murray R. Differential effects on visual and spatial recognition memory of a novel hormone therapy regimen of estrogen alone or combined with progesterone in older surgically menopausal monkeys. Neuroscience. 2008; 154(4):1205-1217.

Rometo AM, Krajewski SJ, Voytko ML, Rance NE. Hypertrophy and increased kisspeptin gene expression in the hypothalamic infundibular nucleus of postmenopausal women and ovariectomized monkeys. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007; 92(7):2744-2750.

Voytko ML. Age dependent effects of estrogen on cognitive function in monkey models of menopause [abstract]. Am J Primatol. 2007; 69(Suppl 1):73.

Landauer NM, Voytko ML, Kohama S, Neuringer M. Effects of ovarian hormone replacement on working memory and visuospatial attention in aged female monkeys [abstract]. Soc Neurosci Abstr. 2006; 2006(Abstr Viewer):.

Kosoko-Lasaki O, Sonnino RE, Voytko ML. Mentoring for women and underrepresented minority faculty and students: experience at two institutions of higher education. J Natl Med Assoc. 2006; 98(9):1449-1459.

Rometo AM, Voytko ML, Rance NE. Kisspeptin neurons in the hypothalamic infundibular nucleus: hypertrophy and increased gene expression in postmenopausal women and ovariectomized monkeys [abstract]. Soc Neurosci Abstr. 2006; 2006(Abstr Viewer):.

Rosen RF, Levine H III, Pohl J, Preuss TM, Reed M, Tomidokoro Y, Farberg A, Rosene DL, Voytko ML, Lah JJ, et al. Mass spectrometric detection of modified cerebral Abeta peptides in Alzheimer’s disease, aged humans, and aged nonhuman primates [abstract]. Soc Neurosci Abstr. 2006; 2006(Abstr Viewer):.

Voytko ML. Cognitive testing of estrogen in Macaque monkeys: translational opportunities. In: Weinbauer GF, Vogel F, eds. Novel approaches towards primate toxicology. New York: Waxmann; 2006: 64-72.