Brain and cognition abnormalities in long-term anabolic-androgenic steroid users

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Radiology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use is linked to psychiatric symptoms and cognitive dysfunction.
• The long-term neurological effects of AAS use in humans remain under-assessed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the brain effects of long-term anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use in male weightlifters.
• To compare brain structure, function, and metabolites between AAS users and non-users.

Main Methods:

• Multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study comparing 10 AAS users and 10 non-users.
• Visuospatial memory testing, brain volumetric analysis, resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the amygdala, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) metabolite quantification via proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).

Main Results:

• AAS users exhibited larger right amygdala volumes and reduced rsFC between the right amygdala and various brain regions.
• Lower scyllo-inositol and higher glutamine/glutamate ratios were observed in the dACC of AAS users, suggesting altered glutamate turnover.
• AAS users showed poorer performance on visuospatial cognitive tasks compared to non-users.

Conclusions:

• Long-term AAS use is associated with right amygdala enlargement and altered functional connectivity, potentially contributing to psychiatric and cognitive deficits.
• Detected MRS abnormalities may indicate increased glutamate turnover and neurodegenerative vulnerability, possibly explaining AAS-associated cognitive dysfunction.