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LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS OF THE ASSOCIATIONS OF TESTOSTERONE WITH
WELL-BEING AND MEMORY
Eva Hogervorst
Department of Human Sciences, Loughborough University, and Department
of Public Health, University of Cambridge. E.hogervorst@lboro.ac.uk
Sex hormones can exert positive effects in the brain and have been
associated with improved well being and cognitive function.
The associations between serum total testosterone, total estradiol
and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) levels and cognition and
mood were investigated in 145 non-demented elderly volunteers (aged
61-91 years) of the MRC Cognitive Foresight Challenge project who
were not using hormone replacement therapy.
High levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) levels, but not
testosterone, were associated with depression (beta=-.27, p<0.05
adjusted R squared=7%). In men, but not in women, high levels of
estradiol were independently associated with depression (beta=0.31,
p=0.008, adjusted R squared =9% for age, education, BMI, smoking,
alcohol abuse, testosterone and SHBG). Positive and negative associations
of hormone levels with different aspects of cognitive function at
follow-up were found in this cohort, most notably a negative association
between testosterone levels and verbal memory .
In the Maastricht Aging Cohort (n=118) no association was reported
between total testosterone and depression, but testosterone was
found to have a positive association (beta=1.18, p=0.01) with verbal
memory performance in men independent of age, education and BMI.
Using a less sensitive assay in the MRC Cognitive Function and Ageing
- healthy ageing cohort, testosterone had no significant association
with cognitive function at baseline or at 2 year follow-up in elderly
men (n=241) or women (n=117). However, high SHBG levels were associated
with worse MMSE performance at baseline in women (beta=-.20, p<0.05)
but not in men independent of age, education, BMI and testosterone.
The role of age and sensitivity of various cognitive tests and of
hormone assays will be discussed to reflect on the data of these
different cohorts.
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