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Anabolic steroids and brain health

14 August 2024

Studies have shown that long-term use of anabolic-androgenic steroids has numerous adverse effects on brain health. Their long-term use can affect brain health through various mechanisms and processes, including neurodegeneration due to neurotoxicity. In addition, their long-term use may have effects such as increased inflammation, oxidative stress and reduced neuroplasticity. [3]

Neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity

The use of androgens may adversely affect neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s capacity to change and rewire itself in response to life experiences. Studies have found similar changes in the brains of long-term users of anabolic-androgenic steroids to those of people at risk of dementia. [2, 3] In addition, studies have shown that long-term use of anabolic-androgenic steroids is associated with the atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes, enlargement of the amygdala and damage to the white matter in the corpus callosum. [3, 4]

One study examined the effects of the long-term use of anabolic steroids on brain ageing. In this study, the brains of 130 weightlifters who used or had used anabolic steroids continuously for at least a year were examined through an MRI scan. The control group consisted of 99 weightlifters who had never used anabolic steroids or similar doping substances. The study found that anabolic steroid users had a higher relative brain age in different parts of the brain compared to non-users. Accelerated aging of the brain was observed in people who had used anabolic steroids for more than 10 years, suggesting that long-term and high-dose use may have a detrimental effect on brain aging. [1]

A study of both male and female mice investigated the effects of testosterone cypionate and stanozolol on neuronal density in the limbic, motor and sensory areas of the cortex and in the CA1, CA2 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus. The study found that, in male mice, both substances significantly affect the reduction of neuronal density in the limbic area and that stanozolol affects the reduction of neuronal density in the CA1 region. In female mice, the effects were even more pronounced, with both substances leading to a reduction in neuronal density in all the areas studied. [3, 6]

Neurodegeneration, or the degeneration of nerve cells

A Swedish research team studied the effects of supraphysiological doses of commonly used anabolic-androgenic compounds – trenbolone, testosterone, stanozolol and nandrolone – on the development of neurite outgrowth inflammation or damage, and on cell survival in cortical cells in rats. Of the substances investigated in the study, trenbolone was found to have the most detrimental effect on the brain, negatively affecting neuron numbers and mitochondrial function, and reducing the expression of the Tubb3 gene, which is involved in neural development. The results of the study indicate a possible detrimental effect of anabolic-androgenic steroids on the development of neurons and their repair processes, which are essential for maintaining normal brain function. In addition, these changes may contribute to the behavioural changes commonly seen in anabolic steroid users. [3, 5]

Cognition

Cognition refers to the brain processes involved in acquiring, processing, storing and using information. Cognitive functions include mental functions such as perception, attention, memory, learning, reasoning, executive functions and language. Studies show that long-term use of anabolic steroids impairs cognitive functions and causes addiction.

Addicted anabolic steroid users were more likely to suffer from executive dysfunction and symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder compared to test subjects who did not use anabolic steroids. Poorer impulse control and working memory have also been observed in users of anabolic steroids compared to non-users. The ability to understand and anticipate other people’s thoughts, feelings and intentions may be impaired in addicted anabolic steroid users, which may suggest that long-term use also negatively affects their social cognition. In addition, addicted users may have an impaired ability to recognise emotions, especially fear, from body movements, which may indicate that they have more interpersonal difficulties and display more isolating, antisocial behaviour. [3, 7, 8]

Click here to read more about addiction to anabolic steroids.

Eetu Torpström

Dopinglinkki

References:
  1. Bjørnebekk, A., Kaufmann, T., Hauger, L. E., Klonteig, S., Hullstein, I. R., & Westlye, L. T. (2021). Long-term anabolic–androgenic steroid use is associated with deviant brain aging. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 6(5), 579-589.
  2. Kaufman, M. J., Kanayama, G., Hudson, J. I., & Pope Jr, H. G. (2019). Supraphysiologic-dose anabolic–androgenic steroid use: A risk factor for dementia?. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 100, 180-207.
  3. Scarth, Morgan; Bj√∏rnebekk, Astrid. Androgen abuse and the brain. Current Opinion in Endocrinology & Diabetes and Obesity 28(6):p 604-614, December 2021. | DOI: 10.1097/MED.0000000000000675
  4. Tabor, J., Wright, D. K., Christensen, J., Zamani, A., Collins, R., Shultz, S. R., & Mychasiuk, R. (2020). Examining the effects of anabolic–androgenic steroids on repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (RmTBI) outcomes in adolescent rats. Brain Sciences, 10(5), 258.
  5. Zelleroth, S., Nylander, E., Örtenblad, A., Stam, F., Nyberg, F., Grönbladh, A., & Hallberg, M. (2021). Structurally different anabolic androgenic steroids reduce neurite outgrowth and neuronal viability in primary rat cortical cell cultures. The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 210, 105863.
  6. Damião, B., Rossi-Junior, W. C., Guerra, F. D. R., Marques, P. P., Nogueira, D. A., & Esteves, A. (2020). Anabolic steroids and their effects of on neuronal density in cortical areas and hippocampus of mice. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 81(3), 537-543.
  7. Hauger, L. E., Westlye, L. T., & Bjørnebekk, A. (2020). Anabolic androgenic steroid dependence is associated with executive dysfunction. Drug and alcohol dependence, 208, 107874.
  8. Hauger, L. E., Sagoe, D., Vaskinn, A., Arnevik, E. A., Leknes, S., Jørstad, M. L., & Bjørnebekk, A. (2019). Anabolic androgenic steroid dependence is associated with impaired emotion recognition. Psychopharmacology, 236, 2667-2676.