CHICAGO — Exogenous testosterone, either alone or with finasteride for 36 months, did not significantly improve cognition in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving healthy older men, Dr. Camille Vaughan said at the annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society.
She presented data from a study in which 70 healthy men, ages 65–83 years, with low levels of testosterone (less than 350 ng/dL) and normal performance on the Mini-Mental State Examination were randomly assigned to receive one of three regimens: 200 mg of IM testosterone every 2 weeks with placebo pills, 200 mg of IM testosterone every 2 weeks with 5 mg of finasteride daily, or placebo injections and placebo pills.
Cognitive testing was performed at baseline, 4 months, and 36 months. Serum hormone levels also were measured at the indicated intervals. Of 69 men who completed baseline testing, 46 completed the study. Serum total testosterone, bioavailable testosterone, and estradiol levels increased significantly in the treatment groups throughout the study period. Hormone levels did not change for the placebo group at any time.
The three groups didn't demonstrate significant differences in cognitive performance on any of the tests at the 4-month or 36-month evaluations, reported Dr. Vaughan of Emory University in Atlanta.
There was a trend in the active treatment groups toward improved performance in the Benton Visual Retention Test and in visuospatial skills on the Visual Patterns Test. But scores were not significantly different from the placebo group at any time.