Negative association of testosterone on spatial visualization in 35 to 80 year old men

Androgens have been linked to visuospatial ability. We examined the relationship between serum free testosterone (T) levels and spatial visualization ability in a population-based sample of 450 healthy men between the ages of 35 and 80 years. They were tested on block design and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) draw-a-figure, as well as tasks assessing episodic memory, semantic memory, procedural memory, and verbal fluency. Blood was analyzed for free T and estradiol. Participants were grouped into high or low free T based on age-specific median values. Participants with low free T performed at a superior level on both the block design task and draw-a-figure task as compared to participants with high free T. The results are discussed within the scant body of research on androgens and cognition in men.