Steroid hormones and cognitive functioning in aging men: a mini-review
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 31, 2026

Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
Published on: January 24, 2020
1Department of Psychology and Department of OB/GYN, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. bsherwin@ego.psych.mcgill.ca
Abstract:
The decrease in testosterone (T) production in aging men has been well documented. Because the majority of circulating estradiol (E2) in men arises through aromatization of T, levels of E2 decrease as well with increasing age. It is also clear that some proportion of men develop impairments in aspects of cognition, particularly in explicit memory and language abilities with normal aging. Although there is a paucity of studies that have attempted to determine whether the decline in the endocrine and cognitive changes in older men are related, findings from the extant literature provide some support for the notion that estrogen is important for aspects of memory in aging men, just as it is in women, whereas T helps to maintain visuospatial abilities. More definitive conclusions on the relationship between the sex hormones and specific cognitive functions in men await more careful investigation in this area in the future.
Related Concept Videos
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Menopause
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Major Hormones and Their Functions
Oxytocin, produced in the hypothalamus and released by the pituitary gland, plays a role in social bonding, childbirth, and lactation.
Cognitive Enhancers: Cholinesterase Inhibitors and NMDA Receptor Antagonists

