Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, Australia.
J Alzheimers Dis. 2010;19(3):943-51. doi: 10.3233/JAD-2010-1342.
Elevated levels of gonadotropins have been observed in patients with Alzheimer's disease and have been associated with poorer cognition in women, but not men. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between gonadotropins and cognition in a cohort of 585 healthy, community-dwelling men aged 70-87 years. Cognitive function was assessed with the California Verbal Learning Test Second Edition (CVLT-II) and the Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination (SMMSE). Testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin, and luteinizing hormone levels were assayed from early morning sera. Free testosterone was calculated using mass action equations. In linear regression analyses, neither total nor free testosterone levels were associated with measures of immediate or delayed recall. Higher levels of luteinizing hormone were associated with poorer performance on a measure of immediate recall (CVLT-II trials 1-5 total score) independent of total and free testosterone levels. The association remained after adjustment for age, educational attainment, and depression. In contrast, only total and free testosterone levels were associated with SMMSE score. These findings suggest a role for both androgens and gonadotropins in differing cognitive domains, and that gonadotropins may influence cognition independent of sex steroids.
促性腺激素水平升高已在阿尔茨海默病患者中观察到，并与女性认知能力下降相关，但与男性无关。本研究旨在探讨 585 名 70-87 岁健康、居住在社区的男性中促性腺激素与认知之间的关系。认知功能采用加利福尼亚语言学习测试第二版（CVLT-II）和标准化简易精神状态检查（SMMSE）进行评估。从清晨血清中检测睾酮、性激素结合球蛋白和黄体生成素水平。采用质量作用方程计算游离睾酮。在线性回归分析中，总睾酮和游离睾酮水平均与即时或延迟回忆测量值无关。黄体生成素水平较高与即时回忆测量值（CVLT-II 试验 1-5 总得分）较差相关，与总睾酮和游离睾酮水平无关。在调整年龄、教育程度和抑郁后，这种关联仍然存在。相比之下，只有总睾酮和游离睾酮水平与 SMMSE 评分相关。这些发现表明雄激素和促性腺激素在不同认知领域都有作用，并且促性腺激素可能独立于性激素影响认知。
