Serum dehydroepiandrosterone and cortisol measurements in Huntington's chorea

• Published in: Journal of the neurological sciences Vol. 132; no. 1; pp. 76 - 79
• Main Authors: Leblhuber, F., Peichl, Marianne, Neubauer, C., Reisecker, F., Steinparz, F.X., Windhager, E., Maschek, Wilma
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier B.V 01.09.1995; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Cortisol; Cortisone - blood; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Dehydroepiandrosterone; Dehydroepiandrosterone - blood; Humans; Huntington Disease - blood; Huntington Disease - diagnosis; Huntington's chorea; Male; Medical sciences; Neurology; Serum levels; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Serum levels; Dehydroepiandrosterone; Cortisol; Huntington's chorea; Human; Nervous system diseases; Androgen; Steroid hormone; Huntington disease; Glucocorticoid; Cerebral disorder; Genetic disease; Adrenal hormone; Central nervous system disease; Serum; Degenerative disease; Hormonal investigation; Sex steroid hormone; Extrapyramidal syndrome
• ISSN: 0022-510X; 1878-5883
• DOI: 10.1016/0022-510X(95)00114-H

Serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), known to antagonize metabolic effects of glucocorticoids in animals, and cortisol (CRT), already shown to be related to cognitive dysfunction in man and animals, were measured in 11 drug-free male subjects with definite Huntington's chorea (HC) and in 25 age-matched male normal controls. Statistical difference was found between DHEAS serum levels ( p < 0.05), CRT levels ( p < 0.05) and the DHEAS CRT ratio ( p < 0.01) of HC subjects and normal individua findings may indicate a dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) and possibly suggest a role of DHEAS as an antiglucocorticoid in HC.