Event-related brain potentials in male hypogonadism

Several studies based on psychometric tests have determined an impairment o f cognitive functions in patients with androgen deficiency. However, little is known about event-related potentials (ERPs) alterations in male hypogon adism. We investigated alterations of ERP in male hypogonadism before and 3 months after gonadotropin treatment. ERPs were elicited in 20 untreated ma le patients with idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) (mean age: 21.1+/-1.4 years) and in a group of 30 male controls with comparable mean a ge and educational level. ERP recordings were repeated 3 months after hCG/h MG treatment. Untreated hypogonadal patients had longer mean P300 latencies and increased P300 amplitudes when compared to those in controls (321.6+/- 18.5 vs 299.3+/-20.1 msec, p=0.0002; 12.15+/-4.47 vs 9.38+/-3.02 mu V, p=0. 011, respectively). The mean P300 latencies did not change significantly 3 months after gonadotropin treatment, while P300 amplitudes were decreased s ignificantly. P300 latencies did not correlate with serum testosterone and other hormone levels. We conclude that prolongation of P300 latencies and i ncreased P300 amplitudes are associated with male hypogonadism, but P300 pr olongation is not reversed 3 months after gonadotropin treatment. These fin dings confirm the occurrence of cognitive defects in hypogonadal patients a nd would support the hypothesis that perinatal androgen deficiency contribu tes to an insufficient cognitive development. (C) 1999, Editrice Kurtis.