HPA axis in elderly women with memory impairment

ARREGGER AL, CARDOSO EML, SANCHEZ R, SAGLIO ML, SALUTOV, CONTRERAS LN

New Orleans

Congreso; THE ENDOCRINE SOCIETY´S 101st ANNUAL MEETING; 2019

The endocrine Society

Daily stress and aging have been associated with detrimental effects on memory. However, the role of lifestyle on the HPA axis regulation remains unclear.The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between lifestyle, memory and the HPA axis feedback regulation in aging women. Seventy women aged 65-87 y/o who complained of poor memory were interviewed, 30 of them met the inclusion criteria (absence of dementia, stroke, general anesthesia during the last year, endogenous depression, renal and hepatic insufficiency, drug or alcohol abuse and any medication that may affect the HPA axis). Only 28 completed the study. They obtained whole saliva samples to evaluate the daily rhythm of salivary cortisol (SAF) at 8.00 (SAF8), 16.00(SAF16) and 23.00 H (SAF23). The sensitivity of the HPA axis was assessed by the overnight 0.5 mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST). SAF and salivary dexamethasone (saD) after DST were determined at 8.00 (SAF8dex,saD8) and at 16.00 (SAF16dex,saD16). Reference values from our laboratory are: SAF8 ≤ 18.0 nM, SAF16 ≤ 6.0 nM, SAF23 ≤ 3.8 nM; SAF8dex and SAF16dex≤2.0nM, saD≥0.229 nM. Lifestyle (LS) and quality of life (QL) were evaluated by self-administered questionnaires (LS and SF36, respectively). Episodic, working and semantic memories, visuospatial perception and attention were also assessed. The protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of IDIM A. Lanari and all subjects gave their written informed consent. SAF and saD were determined by RIA and ELISA, respectively. Statistics were performed by SPSS (p