Metabolic & Cardiometabolic
anabolic-androgenic steroids worsens cognitive function
In plain terms: Do anabolic steroids impair cognitive function?
Part of: 💊 anabolic-androgenic steroids
Leans yes — long-term high-dose users show poorer cognition and brain changes on imaging, so the evidence points to real cognitive harm, with the caveat that much of it comes from a single research group.
Evidence ladder
How far up the ladder this claim has climbed. A high consensus on a low rung means "consistent so far," not "proven in people."
Top evidence so far: Population patterns (Observational)
How the studies fall
The evidence (10)
| Source | Grade | Stance | Quality | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bjornebekk 2023 · Neuroendocrinology | observational | supports | low | High-dose androgen use was associated with reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a biomarker linked to cognitive function. |
| Bjornebekk 2021 · Biol Psychiatry CNNI | observational | supports | moderate | Prolonged AAS use was associated with accentuated (deviant) brain aging on MRI-based age prediction. |
| Tungesvik 2025 · Drug Alcohol Depend | observational | mixed | moderate | Long-term AAS users showed altered cerebrovascular indicators versus non-using weightlifters, though cerebral blood flow findings were not uniformly impaired. |
| Bjornebekk 2017 · Biol Psychiatry | observational | supports | moderate | Long-term AAS users showed thinner cortex and smaller subcortical volumes, a candidate neural substrate for cognitive deficits. |
| Kaufman 2024 · Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse | observational | supports | moderate | Long-term supraphysiologic-dose AAS users showed poorer cognitive function than non-using weightlifters in middle age. |
| Kanayama 2013 · Drug Alcohol Depend | observational | mixed | moderate | Long-term AAS users showed deficits on visuospatial memory but performed comparably on several other cognitive measures. |
| Bjornebekk 2019 · Neuropsychology | observational | supports | moderate | Long-term AAS-exposed weightlifters showed poorer cognitive performance with correlated structural brain differences versus non-exposed weightlifters. |
| Hauger 2019 · Addiction | observational | supports | low | AAS-dependent users showed greater structural brain differences than non-dependent users, consistent with dose/exposure-related brain effects. |
| Mhillaj 2015 · Front Neurosci | animal | supports | low | Animal/in-vitro work indicates supraphysiologic AAS can trigger neuronal apoptosis and reward-system changes, a mechanism for cognitive impairment. |
| Kaufman 2015 · Drug Alcohol Depend | observational | supports | moderate | Long-term AAS users displayed cognitive dysfunction alongside brain abnormalities on imaging. |
Disagree, or know a study we missed?
We grade by evidence, not opinions. The way to weigh in is to point us to a study we haven't cited (check the evidence table above first), or to flag a problem with one we have. Every submission is reviewed; if it holds up, the grade updates and shows in Science Changes Its Mind.
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Educational only, not medical advice. Grades and scores reflect published evidence weighted by study design and quality; see the methodology.