Anabolics age the brain
Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic versions of the male sex hormone testosterone, which are sometimes used as a treatment for hormonal imbalance, but much more often – to improve athletic performance or build muscle mass. AAS increase muscle mass and strength and are known to have many side effects, from acne and heart problems to increased aggressiveness. A new study by Astrid Bjornebekk and her colleagues from the University Hospital of Oslo demonstrates that AAS can also have harmful effects on the brain, causing its premature aging.
Steroid hormones easily penetrate the blood-brain barrier, and sex hormone receptors are found in all parts of the brain. Since AAS are often administered in much higher doses than those naturally found in the body, they can have harmful effects on the brain, especially over a long period of use. Previous studies have shown that AAC users perform worse on cognitive tests than others.
Dr. Bjornebekk and colleagues performed magnetic resonance imaging of the brain of 130 male weightlifters who had taken AAS for a long time, and 99 weightlifters who had never used AAS. Using a dataset collected from 2,000 healthy men aged 18 to 92 for machine learning, the researchers determined the actual brain age of each of their participants, and then determined the difference between it and the chronological age of each participant.
AAS users had a larger brain age gap compared to those who did not take them, meaning they experienced accelerated brain aging.
The results of this major brain imaging study should be of concern to athletes using anabolic steroids to boost performance. Accelerated aging of the brain leads to disorders of behavior and cognitive abilities, which affect the quality of life in old age.
Article by A.Bjørnebekk et al. Long-term anabolic androgenic steroid use is associated with deviant brain aging published in the journal Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of Elsevier: Anabolic androgenic steroids accelerate brain aging.