Wolf O T, Naumann E, Hellhammer D H, Kirschbaum C
Center for Psychobiological and Psychosomatic Research, University of Trier, Germany.
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 1998 Sep;53(5):M385-90. doi: 10.1093/gerona/53a.5.m385.
In humans, concentrations of the adrenal steroid hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate ester (DHEAS) decline with age. Results from studies in rodents have suggested that DHEA administration can improve memory performance as well as neuronal plasticity. However, a first study from our laboratory could not demonstrate beneficial effects of DHEA substitution on cognitive performance and well-being in elderly subjects. To further evaluate whether DHEA replacement has effects on the central nervous system, an experiment using event-related potentials (ERPs) was conducted.
In this placebo-controlled crossover study, 17 elderly men (mean age, 71.1 +/- 1.7 yr; range 59-81 yr) took placebo or DHEA (50 mg/day) for 2 weeks (double blind). After each treatment period subjects participated in an auditory oddball paradigm with three oddball blocks. In the first two blocks subjects had to count the rare tone silently, whereas, in the third block they had to press a button. In addition, memory tests assessing visual, spatial, and semantic memory as well as questionnaires on psychological and physical well-being were presented.
Baseline DHEAS levels were lower compared with young adults. After 2-week DHEA replacement, DHEAS levels rose 5-fold to levels observed in young men. DHEA substitution modulated the P3 component of the ERPs, which reflects information updating in short-term memory. P3 amplitude was increased after DHEA administration, and only selectively in the second oddball block. DHEA did not influence P3 latency. Moreover, DHEA did not enhance memory or mood.
A 2-week DHEA replacement in elderly men results in changes in electrophysiological indices of central nervous system stimulus processing if the task is performed repeatedly. However, these effects do not appear to be strong enough to improve memory or mood.
在人类中，肾上腺类固醇激素脱氢表雄酮（DHEA）及其硫酸酯（DHEAS）的浓度会随着年龄的增长而下降。啮齿动物研究结果表明，给予DHEA可以改善记忆表现以及神经元可塑性。然而，我们实验室的第一项研究未能证明DHEA替代疗法对老年受试者的认知表现和幸福感有有益影响。为了进一步评估DHEA替代疗法是否对中枢神经系统有影响，我们进行了一项使用事件相关电位（ERP）的实验。
在这项安慰剂对照的交叉研究中，17名老年男性（平均年龄71.1±1.7岁；范围59 - 81岁）接受了为期2周的安慰剂或DHEA（50毫克/天）治疗（双盲）。在每个治疗期后，受试者参与了一个听觉oddball范式，该范式有三个oddball块。在前两个块中，受试者必须默默数出罕见的音调，而在第三个块中，他们必须按下一个按钮。此外，还进行了评估视觉、空间和语义记忆的记忆测试以及关于心理和身体健康的问卷调查。
与年轻人相比，基线DHEAS水平较低。在给予2周的DHEA替代治疗后，DHEAS水平上升了5倍，达到了年轻男性中观察到的水平。DHEA替代疗法调节了ERP的P3成分，该成分反映了短期记忆中的信息更新。给予DHEA后，P3波幅增加，且仅在第二个oddball块中选择性增加。DHEA不影响P3潜伏期。此外，DHEA没有增强记忆或改善情绪。
老年男性进行2周的DHEA替代治疗会导致中枢神经系统刺激处理的电生理指标发生变化，前提是该任务要重复执行。然而，这些影响似乎不够强大，不足以改善记忆或情绪。
