Search

Introduction: Testosterone is fundamental for psychological, sexological, cognitive, and reproductive aspects, and its lack or reduction largely impacts the quality of life in males and females., Aim: Therefore, the aim of this review is to describe the role of testosterone in the neurophysiology of the brain and related aspects regarding the quality of general and sexual life., Methods: We listed and discussed the principal studies on the role of testosterone in the brain regarding sexual health, psychopathological conditions, and the elderly. The search strategies were composed by the insertion of specific terms in PubMed regarding the main studies from January 2000 to June 2015., Main Outcome Measures: Using a psychoneuroendocrinologic perspective, we considered 4 main sections: brain and testosterone, sexuality and testosterone, psychopathology and testosterone, and cognitive impairment and testosterone., Results: Much evidence on the neuroendocrinology of testosterone regarding brain activity, sexual function, psychological health, and senescence was found. In any case, it is known that testosterone deficiency negatively impacts quality of life, first, but not exclusively, through a central effect. Moreover, testosterone and androgen receptors are differently expressed according to age and gender. This aspect contributes to gender differences and to the dimorphic physiological role of this hormone., Conclusion: A universal role for testosterone can be recognized: low levels of testosterone are associated with mental disorders, sexual dysfunction, and cognitive impairment in both sexes. Hence, physicians should carefully assess testosterone levels, not only in the management of sexual dysfunctions but also when seeking to help patients with severe mental or organic diseases., (Copyright © 2016 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The prognostic value of serum total testosterone (TT) prior to treatment has not been investigated., Aim: This study was performed to determine how baseline TT influences changes in body composition in men undergoing testosterone therapy (TTh)., Main Outcome Measures: Response to TTh in a clinical population of men with symptomatic testosterone deficiency (TD)., Methods: Retrospective case series of 58 men with TD were treated with TTh. All were naïve to previous TTh. Men were stratified into two groups: group 1 (N = 38) consisted of men with baseline TT > 300 ng/dL (10.4 nmol/L) and group 2 (N = 20) consisted of men with total TT < 300 ng/dL. Men in group 1 were diagnosed with TD on the basis of low values of free testosterone (FT) < 1.5 ng/dL (19.3 pmol/L). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was performed at baseline and follow-up (6.9 ± 4 months) to assess regional and whole body., Results: At baseline, both groups had similar lean mass (LM) and fat mass (FM), but percentage of trunk FM and percentage of total FM were significantly higher in group 2. Both groups demonstrated similar increases in LM for arms, legs, and total body. Percentage of total FM significantly decreased in both groups., Conclusions: Baseline severity of symptomatic TD influences body composition. Similar changes in LM and FM were seen with TTh regardless of baseline severity in TD. Men with TT > 300 ng/dL demonstrated significant positive changes in body composition. The similarity in objective response to TTh in these two groups provides support for the value of FT in the assessment of men with symptoms suggestive of TD., (© 2011 International Society for Sexual Medicine.)