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. 2022 Nov 9:10:e14323.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.14323. eCollection 2022.

Age, adrenal steroids, and cognitive functioning in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Rafaela S C Takeshita  1   2   3 , Melissa K Edler  1   2   3 , Richard S Meindl  1   2 , Chet C Sherwood  4 , William D Hopkins  5 , Mary Ann Raghanti  1   2   3
Affiliations

Age, adrenal steroids, and cognitive functioning in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Rafaela S C Takeshita et al. PeerJ. .

Abstract

Background: Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate is the most abundant circulating androgen in humans and other catarrhines. It is involved in several biological functions, such as testosterone production, glucocorticoid antagonist actions, neurogenesis and neuroplasticty. Although the role of dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS) in cognition remains elusive, the DHEAS/cortisol ratio has been positively associated with a slower cognitive age-decline and improved mood in humans. Whether this relationship is found in nonhuman primates remains unknown.

Methods: We measured DHEAS and cortisol levels in serum of 107 adult chimpanzees to investigate the relationship between DHEAS levels and age. A subset of 21 chimpanzees was used to test the potential associations between DHEAS, cortisol, and DHEAS/cortisol ratio in cognitive function, taking into account age, sex, and their interactions. We tested for cognitive function using the primate cognitive test battery (PCTB) and principal component analyses to categorize cognition into three components: spatial relationship tasks, tool use and social communication tasks, and auditory-visual sensory perception tasks.

Results: DHEAS levels, but not the DHEAS/cortisol ratio, declined with age in chimpanzees. Our analyses for spatial relationships tasks revealed a significant, positive correlation with the DHEAS/cortisol ratio. Tool use and social communication had a negative relationship with age. Our data show that the DHEAS/cortisol ratio, but not DHEAS individually, is a promising predictor of spatial cognition in chimpanzees.

Keywords: Aging; Chimpanzee; Cognition; Cortisol; Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate; Steroid hormones.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare there are no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Relationship between serum DHEAS levels and age in 107 captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).
Each data point represents one individual. Data on DHEAS levels were power-transformed to fit model assumptions. The regression line represents the predicted relationship between DHEAS levels and age, and the shaded area represents a 95% confidence interval on the fitted values.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Positive correlation between DHEAS/cortisol ratio and Primate Cognition Testing Battery PC1 (spatial relationships) in chimpanzees.
Each data point represents one individual (N = 21). The regression lines represent the predicted relationship between PC1 and the DHEAS/cortisol ratio. The shaded areas represent a 95% confidence interval on the fitted values.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Negative correlation between age and Primate Cognition Testing Battery PC2 (tool use and social communication) in chimpanzees.
Each data point represents one individual (N = 21). The regression lines represent the predicted relationship between PC2 and age. The shaded areas represent a 95% confidence interval on the fitted values.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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