EFFECTS OF A 2-WEEK PHYSIOLOGICAL DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE SUBSTITUTIONON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE AND WELL-BEING IN HEALTHY ELDERLY WOMEN AND MEN

The levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate ester DHEA S decrease with age after a peak around 25 yr. Animal studies as well as the first studies in humans have generated the idea that DHEA repla cement in elderly subjects may have beneficial effects on well-being a nd cognitive functions. In the present experiment 40 healthy elderly m en and women (mean age, 69 yr) participated in a double blind, placebo -controlled DHFA substitution study. For 2 weeks subjects took 50 mg D HFA daily, followed by a 2-week wash-out period and a 2-week placebo p eriod. The treatment sequence was randomized in a cross-over design. A fter 2 weeks of DHEA or placebo, psychological and physical well-being as well as cognitive performance were assessed using several question naires and neuropsychological tests. All subjects had low DHEAS baseli ne levels. DHEA substitution lead to a 5-fold increase in DHEAS levels in women (from 0.67 +/- 0.1 to 4.1 +/- 0.4 mu g/mL; P < 0.001) and me n (from 0.85 +/- 0.1 to 4.5 +/- 0.4 mu g/mL; P < 0.001). DHEA, androst enedione, and testosterone levels also increased significantly in both sexes (all P < 0.001). No significant changes were observed in insuli n-like growth factor I or insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 levels. DHEA replacement had no strong beneficial effect on any of th e measured psychological or cognitive parameters. Only women tended to report an increase in well-being (P = 0.11) and mood (P = 0.10), as a ssessed with questionnaires. They also showed better performance in on e of six cognitive tests (picture memory) after DHEA. However, after B onferroni alpha adjustment, this difference was no longer significant. No such trend was observed in men (P > 0.20). Likewise, no beneficial effects of DHEA substitution could be observed in any of the other te sts of the neuropsychological test battery in either sex (all P > 0.20 ). In conclusion, the present data do not support the idea of strong b eneficial effects of a physiological DHEA substitution on well-being o r cognitive performance in healthy elderly individuals.