title: Effects of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and progesterone on spatial learning and memory in young and aged mice.
abstract: Young (2-4 months) and aged (14-16 months) male Swiss-Webster albino mice (n = 7 per group) were subcutaneously injected with 20 mg/kg/day dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), progesterone (P), DHEAS + P, or vehicle control and trained over a 5-day period in a Morris water maze. The subjects were tested 48 hr after training for memory recall as measured by latencies to locate the hidden platform, and trunk blood was collected immediately thereafter. As expected, latency to platform decreased for all groups over the 6 testing days, with aged mice taking longer to reach platform than did young mice. However, results did not support the hypotheses that DHEAS-treated mice would exhibit shorter latencies and that P-treated mice would show longer latencies to platform in comparison with age-matched controls. These results raise doubts about the effectiveness of commercially available supplements claiming to promote enhanced memory in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, USA.
authors.forename: Karin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Bodensteiner
authors.forename: Ivan J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: Loraina L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Ghiraldi
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004924:Escape Reaction / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D009949:Orientation / Q000187:drug effects*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D011374:Progesterone; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate