Abstract
BackgroundAging is marked by declines in levels of many sex hormones and growth factors, as well as in cognitive function. The P300 event-related potential has been established as a predictor of cognitive decline. We decided to determine if this measure, as well as 2 standard tests of memory and attention, may be correlated with serum levels of sex hormones and growth factors, and if there are any generalizations that could be made based on these parameters and the aging process.FindingsIn this large clinically based preliminary study several sex-stratified associations between hormone levels and cognition were observed, including (1) for males aged 30 to 49, both IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 significantly associated negatively with prolonged P300 latency; (2) for males aged 30 to 49, the spearman correlation between prolonged P300 latency and low free testosterone was significant; (3) for males aged 60 to 69, there was a significant negative correlation between P300 latency and DHEA levels; (4) for females aged 50 to 59 IGFBP-3 significantly associated negatively with prolonged P300 latency; (5) for females at all age periods, estrogen and progesterone were uncorrelated with P300 latency; and (6) for females aged 40 to 69, there was significant negative correlation between DHEA levels and P300 latency. Moreover there were no statistically significant correlations between any hormone and Wechsler Memory Scale-III (WMS-111). However, in females, there was a significant positive correlation between estrogen levels and the number of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) complaints.ConclusionGiven certain caveats including confounding factors involving psychiatric and other chronic diseases as well as medications, the results may still have important value. If these results could be confirmed in a more rigorously controlled investigation, it may have important value in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cognitive impairments and decline.
Highlights
A review of the literature reveals that sex hormones have often been associated with changes in behavioral and mental abilities
Plasma sex and growth hormones were analyzed in both males and females across a wide age range and the results were statistically correlated with an electroencephalograph-obtained event-related potential (P300), whose prolonged latency has been established as an accurate predictor of cognitive and memory decline
Subjects In this large (721 females and 654 males with an age range of 30–93 years) clinically based study, all patients were tested for their response to the P300 event-related potential (ERP) and screened for circulating hormones (testosterone, progesterone, estrogen, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and growth hormones IGF-1 and IGFBP-3)
Summary
A review of the literature reveals that sex hormones have often been associated with changes in behavioral and mental abilities. The behavioral effects of the androgens testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) remain unclear but preliminary reports suggest that their use is associated with improved mood [4,5]. There is not enough hard data to support the use of sex hormones and DHEA, the adrenal androgen, for the treatment of depression, cognitive decline or memory deficits. Aging is marked by declines in levels of many sex hormones and growth factors, as well as in cognitive function. We decided to determine if this measure, as well as 2 standard tests of memory and attention, may be correlated with serum levels of sex hormones and growth factors, and if there are any generalizations that could be made based on these parameters and the aging process
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