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Updated: Nov 10, 2025
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Symmetric Bihemispheric Postmortem Brain Cutting to Study Healthy and Pathological Brain Conditions in Humans
Published on: December 18, 2016
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Long-term Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Use Is Associated With Deviant Brain Aging
Astrid Bjørnebekk1, Tobias Kaufmann2, Lisa E Hauger1
1Anabolic Androgenic Steroid Research Group, Section for Clinical Addiction Research, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Summary
High-dose anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use may accelerate brain aging, particularly with longer exposure and dependency. This study found that AAS users exhibited a greater brain age gap compared to controls.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Radiology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use is linked to potential brain and cognitive abnormalities.
- Investigating the impact of AAS on brain aging is crucial for understanding long-term health consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if prolonged AAS use is associated with accelerated brain aging.
- To evaluate the relationship between AAS use patterns and brain age.
Main Methods:
- T1-weighted MRI scans were analyzed from male weightlifters with and without a history of AAS use.
- Machine learning models predicted brain age based on regional brain volumes, cortical thickness, and surface area.
- Linear mixed-effects models compared the brain age gap (BAG) and its rate of change between groups.
Main Results:
- AAS users showed a significantly higher brain age gap (BAG) compared to control subjects.
- Higher BAG in AAS users was associated with dependency and longer duration of use.
- Longitudinal analysis indicated accelerated brain aging with extended AAS exposure.
Conclusions:
- Long-term, high-dose AAS use may adversely affect brain aging.
- Dependency and patterns of AAS use appear linked to accelerated brain aging.
- Findings highlight potential neurotoxic effects of AAS and the need for further research.
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