Neuroprotective Effects of Testosterone full article available.
Highlights of the article:
The discussion section had some interesting observations too (reflecting my bias ).Ten men with MS were observed by MRI before and after testosterone treatment.
VBM demonstrated an arrest of gray matter atrophy as the result of treatment.
VBM demonstrated an increase of cortical gray matter as the result of treatment.
(VBM=voxel-based morphometry, a sophisticated, objective whole-brain analysis technique)
I think this new info on testosterone is promising but as many probably already know, testosterone has also been in the news recently re: risk of stroke and heart attack. Here’s a link to the FDA’s blurb on that matter:To our knowledge, this is the first report of a treatment-induced GM volume increase in MS, which stands in stark contrast to previous outcomes on gray matter atrophy in anti-inflammatory treatment trials (Hardmeier et al., 2005; Miller et al., 2007; Rao et al., 2002).
This observation is particularly interesting since we found no significant correlations between gray matter loss and changes in white matter lesion volume or in newly occurring lesions during testosterone treatment.
Since lesions are thought to be a marker of inflammatory activity, this is consistent with testosterone's effects being neuroprotective rather than anti-inflammatory.
This observation also supports the notion that MS pathogenesis consists of relatively distinct inflammatory and neuroprotective components.
This in turn may explain why anti-inflammatory treatments prevent relapses and newly occurring lesions, but fail to exhibit a similar impact on long-term disability and gray matter atrophy (Hardmeier et al., 2005; Miller et al., 2007; Rao et al., 2002).
FDA evaluating risk of stroke, heart attack and death with FDA-approved testosterone products
And here’s Web MD’s take on men's testosterone levels:
That’s quite a range. Having your testosterone levels checked might be something to consider. Mine were right on the mark for a woman.The bottom of a man's normal total testosterone range is about 300 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL). The upper limits are 1,000 to 1,200 ng/dL .
Onward and all the best to everyone
Sharon