Summary of findings to date in the Douglas Hospital Longitudinal Study of Normal and Pathological Aging
| Characteristic | Cortisol group | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Increasing/High | Increasing/Moderate | Decreasing/Moderate | ||
| No. (% of total sample) (n = 51) | 12 (24) | 29 (57) | 10 (20) | 30 |
| Memory performance | Impaired (n = 8) | Unimpaired (n = 6) | Unimpaired (n = 5) | 31 |
| Mean hippocampal volume (SEM), mL | 4.00 (0.08) (n = 6) | 4.54 (0.13) (n = 5) | 32 | |
| Memory performance after metyrapone | No change (n = 9) | Decrease (n = 8) | 37 | |
| Memory performance after hydrocortisone replacement | Decrease (n = 9) | Return to normal baseline placebo memory performance (n = 8) | 37 | |
SEM = standard error of the mean.