According to Science Daily, yes. Their December 20, 2006 article, titled “Testosterone Therapy May Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease,” provides a ray of hope for Alzheimer’s patients and their friends and families.
The article discusses a study done by the University of Southern California, and funded by the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institutes of Health. The research shows that there is a link between testosterone levels and neurological diseases. In other words, with more research, a hormone therapy might be developed that would stop the development of the disease in its tracks.
Researchers at USC came to their conclusions by studying the effects of testosterone deprivation in lab mice. The mice were given a drug that stopped them from producing testosterone and the mice later showed signs of impaired behavior and high-levels of the protein beta-amyloid, thought to play a major role in Alzheimer’s development. When they were then treated with testosterone, the mice showed a marked improvement in both their protein levels and their symptoms of behavior impairment.
USC researchers are hopeful that the results of this test indicate that Alzheimer’s and other similar neurological diseases in the elderly are indeed caused by deficiencies in hormones and can therefore be successfully treated with hormone therapy.
Other studies are currently being conducted to determine if there is a link between Alzheimer’s and estrogen loss in older women, environmental factors, or biologic and genetic factors.
More information can be found on this and other Alzheimer’s studies at the following links:
Journal of Neuroscience Study
Alzheimer’s Association
National Institutes of Health
Alzheimer’s Disease Report, March 2002
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