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CompletedNCT00001253Updated Mar 4, 2008

The Effects of Estrogen on Cognition in Girls With Turner Syndrome

A Phase 2 interventional study of cognitive tests and scales in Gonadal Dysgenesis and Turner's Syndrome, sponsored by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Completed at 1 site in United States. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2008-03-04.

Sponsored by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
950
Sex
All
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Study summary

The development of the brain in females is a result of a combination of factors. During puberty estrogen plays a role in influencing brain development. Cultural and environmental factors also play a role in the development of the brain.

Female patients with Turner syndrome lack the ability to produce estrogen due to undeveloped ovaries. Therefore, Turner syndrome is the perfect condition to study how estrogen (or the lack of estrogen) influences a person's behavior and thinking.

This study will compare cognitive differences (visual motor skills, visual-spatial, psychosocial behavior, and visual memory) of patients with Turner syndrome to normal patient controls. Researchers will use the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) along with other tests and scales to measure different aspects of the patient's cognitive ability. In addition the study will review patients with Turner syndrome who previously received estrogen replacement as infants and children in a related research study.

Researchers hope to demonstrate that estrogen replacement will improve cognition and behavior in girls with Turner syndrome.

Read the detailed description

Estrogen influences brain development in females at puberty. Environmental and cultural factors interact with the biological effects of estrogen on the brain and consequently on cognition and behavior. Turner syndrome females lack endogenous estrogen as a result of dysgenetic ovaries. Turner syndrome therefore represents a unique, estrogen-deficient model in which to study the biological effects of estrogen on cognition and behavior. The specific aims of this project are to: 1) document further, the cognitive differences between girls with Turner syndrome at ages 5 to adult (less than or equal to age 50) versus age-matched, female controls. 2) to examine the differential effects of continuous estrogen replacement in infancy and in early childhood on cognitive and social function in a unique, previously approved, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, treatment trial (87-CH-0152). Specifically, we hypothesize that estrogen replacement in early childhood will reduce the cognitive deficits of girls with Turner syndrome. In addition, we hypothesize that the degree of socialization ability in these girls will correlate with social-behavioral and social recognition ability. Finally, we hypothesize that earlier (infancy to 8 years) and longer estrogen replacement will result in less impairment of visual-motor ability, visual-spatial ability, socialization ability, and affective competence compared to later (9 to 12 years) estrogen replacement in girls with Turner syndrome.

Children with Turner syndrome and controls will be tested in the Outpatient Departments at the two approved sites of protocol 87-CH-0152; the NIH and Thomas Jefferson University.

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Conditions studied

  • Gonadal Dysgenesis
  • Turner's Syndrome

Keywords

  • Turner's Syndrome
  • Estrogen
  • Ethinyl estradiol
  • Learning
  • Ovarian dysgenesis
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In context

Turner Syndrome

115 studies on the registry are indexed under Turner Syndrome; 33 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 950 is above the median of 65 across 51 interventional studies indexed under Turner Syndrome.

Browse Turner Syndrome studies →

Lead sponsor

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is the lead sponsor of 416 studies on the registry; 25 are open to participants now.

Of its 13 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 10 (77%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
Child (0–17), Adult (18–64), Older adult (65+)
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

Patients will include girls and women ages 5-50 yr with the diagnosis of Turner syndrome based on absence of all or part of one of the X chromosomes.

Control subjects must be within +/- 2SD for height and weight and have normal intelligence and educational achievement.

Biological parents (both male and female) of TS subjects may be included in this study, but only to have blood drawn for genetic testing in order to determine the origin of the X-chromosome of their daughters.

Exclusion criteria

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

Those with severe physical or neurocognitive impairment, preventing accurate completion of the cognitive tasks, will be excluded.

Normal subjects who have qualified for or participated in gifted and talented or remedial education programs.

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Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Enrollment
950 participants

Interventions

  • Behavioralcognitive tests and scales
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Study locations

1 site
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
    Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
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References and documents

Publications

  • Palmer CG, Reichmann A. Chromosomal and clinical findings in 110 females with Turner syndrome. Hum Genet. 1976 Dec 29;35(1):35-49. doi: 10.1007/BF00295617. PubMed 1002163 ↗
  • Singh RP, Carr DH. The anatomy and histology of XO human embryos and fetuses. Anat Rec. 1966 Jul;155(3):369-83. doi: 10.1002/ar.1091550309. No abstract available. PubMed 5956901 ↗
  • Park E, Bailey JD, Cowell CA. Growth and maturation of patients with Turner's syndrome. Pediatr Res. 1983 Jan;17(1):1-7. doi: 10.1203/00006450-198301000-00001. No abstract available. PubMed 6835711 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 4, 2008, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00001253
Lead sponsor
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
First posted
Nov 4, 1999
Start date
May 1990
Completion
Mar 2004
Last update
Mar 4, 2008
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Mar 2004. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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