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. 2011:2011:249421.
doi: 10.5402/2011/249421. Epub 2011 Apr 3.

The GH/IGF-I Axis and Cognitive Changes across a 4-Year Period in Healthy Adults

Jan Berend Deijen  1 , Lucia I Arwert, Madeleine L Drent
Affiliations

The GH/IGF-I Axis and Cognitive Changes across a 4-Year Period in Healthy Adults

Jan Berend Deijen et al. ISRN Endocrinol. 2011.

Abstract

After the age of 40, the amount of growth hormone in humans decreases. The reduced activity of the GH-IGF axis may play a role in age-related cognitive impairments. In the present study, mood and cognition of 30 healthy subjects (7 males, 23 females, aged 41-76 yr, mean age 60.9 ± 9.0) were examined twice. At baseline, we determined fasting blood levels of GH and IGF-I. Mood and cognitive status were assessed at baseline and after, on the average, 3 years and 9 months of followup. Working memory performance decreased over the years in the low IGF-group (P = .007), but not the high IGF-I group. Higher levels of GH were related with a better working memory at the second test (r = 0.42, P = .01) while higher levels of IGF-I tended to be related with a better working memory (r = 0.3, P = .06). The results suggest that higher serum levels of GH and IGF-I preserve the quality of working memory functions over the years.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean scores (±SE) on digit span backward at baseline and session 2 for the low (n = 15; mean IGF-I = 13.8 nmol/L) and high (n = 15; mean IGF-I = 22.5 nmol/L) IGF-I groups.
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