Endocrine factors, memory and perceptual capacities and aging in Asian men

Abstract

Background: This cross-sectional study examined the associations of hormones and age with short-term memory and perceptual capacity in 472 healthy Asian men.

Methods: The symbol digit and digit span tests from the Swedish Performance Evaluation System were used to assess perceptual capacity and memory. Linear regression analyses with the stepwise method were carried out with the SPSS 21.0 package.

Results: Age was associated with lower dehydorepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA/S), insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1), thyroxine (T4), testosterone (T), bioavailable T (BioT) and error rate (Err) but higher glucose (GLU), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), estradiol (E2) and retention time (RT). High GLU was associated with higher error rate, longer RT of the perceptual capacity domain and shorter digit span (DSpan) of the short-term memory domain. Higher insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (BP3) was associated with longer DSpan. High cortisol (Cor) was associated with higher Err, while high DHEA/S was associated with shorter RT. All other hormones from the adrenal, somatotrophic and gonadal were not significantly associated with cognition.

Conclusion: The findings suggest (1) a role for tighter control of blood glucose levels in cognitive decline with aging in men, (2) different hormones may be related to different parameters of cognition and “cognition” is not a unitary phenomenon and (3) further investigation of the potential for exogenous DHEA/S to slow cognitive decline in aging, especially as it relates to reaction time.

• Asian men
• aging
• cognition
• hormones
• perceptual capacity
• short-term memory

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the technical assistance from staff of the Endocrine Research and Service Laboratory of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University of Singapore, Singapore. This study was designed, conducted and data collected while Prof. Victor H. H. Goh was at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University of Singapore, Singapore. Prof. William Hart was intimately involved in the interpretation, drafting of the article and critical revision of the article for submission.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no declaration of interest. This study was supported, in part, by funds from the Academic Research Fund of the National University of Singapore, Singapore.