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Women who undergo hormone replacement therapy after menopause appear to enjoy better mental functioning.

The gains were noted in a group of women, monitored for three years, who were given the hormone replacements for a variety of problems, including hot flashes and bone loss.

The researchers — from Johns Hopkins, Utah State, Duke and the University of California at San Francisco — described the improvements in the current issue of Neurology as "clinically as well as statistically significant." Women 85 and older did especially well.

"Our results suggest that the apparent effects of H.R.T. are greatest among the oldest old," the researchers wrote. "In other words, those who stand to lose the most cognitively appear to gain the most from H.R.T. exposure."

The improvements were seen only in women free from dementia. And the authors cautioned that more study was needed to verify the findings, especially because the group of women studied did not reflect the general population.

The research was based on a study of women who live in Cache County, Utah, which is 90 percent Mormon. Mormons are forbidden to use alcohol and tobacco, a prohibition that could affect any study involving their health.

In all, more than 2,000 women 65 or older were monitored. Researchers performed periodic evaluations of their cognitive skills and then correlated the findings to the use of hormone replacements.