Testosterone levels are normally lower in older men. Testosterone is the primary male hormone. Age-related testosterone depletion in men is considered a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD occurs in older adults and causes memory loss, confusion and eventually death. Now research reports that androgen-based hormone therapy may reduce the risk of AD in aging men.
The study, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, investigated the association between testosterone depletion and AD. Researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, administered dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or a placebo to castrated mice that were genetically modified to develop AD, for four months. A control group of the mice received sham surgeries to deplete testosterone and were then administered DHT or a placebo for four months.
The researchers found that the castrated mice receiving a placebo had impaired memory and increased levels of amyloid beta, a protein that accumulates in the brain and causes AD. Findings also revealed that DHT treatment prevented amyloid beta accumulation and memory deficits in the castrated mice.
"These data demonstrate that androgen depletion accelerates the development of AD-like neuropathology, suggesting that a similar mechanism may underlie the increased risk for AD in men with low testosterone," the study authors write. "In addition, our finding that DHT protects against acceleration of AD-like neuropathology predicts that androgen-based hormone therapy may be a useful strategy for the prevention and treatment of AD in aging men."
REFERENCES:
1. Rosario ER et al. Androgens regulate the development of neuropathology in a triple transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. J Neurosci. 2006 Dec 20;26(51):13384-9.
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on January 29, 2007 03:09 PM
