The Open Psychiatry Journal

2015, 9 : 1-6
Published online 2015 May 29. DOI: 10.2174/1874354401509010001
Publisher ID: TOPJ-9-1

Everyday Memory Deficits Associated with Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Use in Regular Gymnasium Users

Thomas M. Heffernan , Lisa Battersby , Patricia Bishop and Terence S. O’Neill
Collaboration for Drug and Alcohol Research (CDAR), Department of Psychology, Northumbria University. Newcastle- Upon-Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK.

ABSTRACT

Background: This study compared a group of 47 regular gym users who take androgenic-anabolic steroids (the AAS group) as part of their recreational sport, with a group of 48 regular gym users who do not use AAS (the Non-AAS group) on self-reports of Retrospective memory (RM), executive function (EF) and prospective memory (PM), which are all critical to everyday remembering.

Methods: All participants were tested using an on-line Survey Monkey method. The Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) assessed everyday RM and PM deficits and the Executive Function Questionnaire (EFQ) assessed self-reported problems in EF. A drug-use questionnaire and a mood questionnaire were also administered

Results: After observing no between-group differences on alcohol or mood, omitting anyone who drank excessively or had drank recently, smoked or reported using any illegal drug, three one-way ANCOVAs (controlling for age) revealed that the ASS group reported significantly more RM deficits, EF deficits, and PM deficits, when compared with the Non- ASS group.

Conclusion: It was concluded that AAS use in a recreational sports context is associated with RM, EF and PM deficits, indicating that AAS use may damage everyday remembering.

Keywords:

Androgenic anabolic steroids, retrospective memory, executive function, prospective memory.