Abstract: In a group of 28 older men with either subjective memory loss or dementia, serum total testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) correlated inversely with plasma levels of amyloid beta peptide 40 (Aβ40, r=-0.5, P=0.01 and r=-0.4, P=0.04, respectively). Calculated free testosterone was also inversely correlated (r=-0.4, P=0.03), and all three relationships remained statistically significant after allowing for age. A similar but non-significant trend was seen with dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), and neither luteinising hormone (LH) nor estradiol correlated with Aβ40. These data demonstrate that lower androgen levels are associated with increased plasma Aβ40 in older men with memory loss…or dementia, suggesting that subclinical androgen deficiency enhances the expression of Alzheimer's disease-related peptides in vivo. An inverse correlation exists between SHBG and Aβ40, warranting further investigation.
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Keywords: testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin, amyloid beta peptide 40, memory loss, dementia, men
Abstract: Neurodegeneration is associated with increased frequency of neurological soft signs (NSS). We designed the present study to investigate the association between NSS and subjective memory complaints, cognitive function and apolipoprotein E genotype in a community-dwelling sample of volunteers participating in an ongoing longitudinal program investigating predictors of cognitive decline. NSS were found to be associated with apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 genotype (p = 0.015), age (p = 0.012) and poor cognitive performance, as assessed by the Mini Mental State Examination (p = 0.053). There was no significant difference between subjects with and without memory complaints in relation to the frequency…of NSS (p = 0.130). The association with age and the APOE ε4 genotype suggests that the systematic investigation of NSS may contribute to identify subjects at risk of clinically significant cognitive decline in later life.
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