['As an alternative to estrogen therapy, the efficacy of an estrogen receptor β-selective phytoestrogenic (phyto-β-SERM) formulation to regulate climacteric symptoms and decline in brain responses associated with ovarian hormone loss in menopause was assessed.', 'A phyto-β-SERM formulation-containing diet was compared with a commercial soy extract diet and a phytoestrogen-free base/control diet in an ovariectomized (OVX) mouse model of human menopause. Two treatment studies were conducted: (1) a 2-month study assessed the effects of experimental diets on tail skin temperature as a model of menopausal hot flashes, and (2) a 9-month study assessed the long-term impact of the diets on overall health, hair thinning/loss, spatial working memory, and associated protein expression in the hippocampus.', 'The phyto-β-SERM diet prevented OVX-induced menopause-like changes including the rise in skin temperature, hair thinning/loss, deficit in spatial memory function, and reversed OVX-induced decline in the expression of hippocampal proteins involved in neural plasticity and β-amyloid degradation/clearance. The soy extract diet had no effect or exacerbated OVX-induced changes.'] Does estrogen receptor β-selective phytoestrogenic formulation prevent physical and neurological changes in a preclinical model of human menopause?