Testosterone improves verbal learning and memory in postmenopausal women: Results from a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Menopause is associated with cognitive changes.
• Testosterone's role in cognition is under-researched in postmenopausal women.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of transdermal testosterone on cognitive performance in healthy postmenopausal women.

Main Methods:

• Open-label pilot study with 9 postmenopausal women receiving testosterone spray for 26 weeks.
• Cognitive performance assessed using a computerized test battery pre- and post-treatment.
• Comparison with a normative control group of 30 women.

Main Results:

• Testosterone group showed significant improvements in verbal learning/memory (International Shopping list delayed recall) and visual learning/memory (Groton Maze recall) after 26 weeks.
• Significant improvements in verbal learning/memory and visual learning/memory were maintained after accounting for age and baseline scores.
• No significant cognitive changes were observed in the normative group.

Conclusions:

• Transdermal testosterone administration improved cognitive performance in verbal and visual learning and memory domains in healthy postmenopausal women.
• Results warrant further investigation in larger, randomized, placebo-controlled trials.