Effects of exercise interventions on cognitive functions in healthy populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis
SUMMARY: Long-term anabolic-androgenic steroid users may experience significant cognitive deficits, particularly in visuospatial memory, correlated with total AAS dosage. KEY FINDINGS: Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) enhance muscle mass but may cause cognitive deficits. Long-term AAS users showed impaired visuospatial memory compared to nonusers. Cognitive tests indicated no deficits in reaction time and verbal memory for AAS users. AAS use correlates significantly with poorer performance on Pattern Recognition Memory. Lifetime AAS dose negatively affects visuospatial memory performance in users. Study involved 31 male AAS users and 13 non-users, ages 29-55. No significant differences found between groups on sustained attention tests. Cognitive impairments raise concerns about long-term health risks of AAS usage. Prior studies indicated potential neurotoxicity in neuronal cells due to AAS exposure. Future research should focus on AAS impact on brain regions linked to memory. CONCLUSION: Long-term AAS exposure may be detrimental to cognitive function. Significant declines in visuospatial memory associated with higher AAS dosages. Preliminary findings suggest a potential public health concern. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and explore underlying mechanisms. Reference