If postmenopausal women take sex hormones, their brains will rejuvenate, researchers say. A study found that women on hormone replacement therapy performed better on tests that measure how the left and right sides of the brain work together. Psychologists from the University of Durham say that this is a reflection of the brain activity of young women, whose bodies naturally produce sex hormones. The study included 62 postmenopausal women. Their age is between 46 and 71 years. 36 of them underwent hormone therapy, the rest represent the control group. All women are right-handed. The ladies performed tasks involving motor coordination, such as pressing buttons with different fingers on both hands. The researchers explain that the equal execution of the tasks with both hands is a sign of the good interaction and connection between the two halves of the brain. The study found that the process is more pronounced in women on hormone therapy. The team in Durham suggests that sex hormones provide bidirectionality of processes between the two brain hemispheres by stimulating the interaction between them. The researchers hope to find out whether sex hormones can be used to make the brain less vulnerable to the consequences of stroke and other disabilities. Scientists suggest that this could happen as, with increasing age, the two brain hemispheres “share” the workload. In this direction, however, a number of new studies should be carried out. In the United Kingdom, about one million women over the age of 50 are on hormone replacement therapy to relieve the symptoms of menopause. The medication that is taken contains estrogen, the levels of which fall during menopause, which in turn leads to hot flashes, low sex drive, mood swings, thinning bones and night sweats. Some of the drugs prescribed for menopause also contain progesterone.