Abstract
For several centuries health professionals have postulated the existence of a link between hormones and behaviour. Myxoedema madness, caused by hypothyroidism, is a classical early example of this association. More recently, researchers have made use of technological advances in biochemistry, imaging and molecular biology to clarify how hormones work and contribute to influence behaviour. This multi-author American book, edited by M.F. Morrison (from the University of Pennsylvania), presents a comprehensive review of our current knowledge on how some hormones may influence the ageing process and behaviour in later life.
The book is divided into four parts and 16 chapters that focus mostly on the effects of sex hormones on mood and cognitive function. In fact, only three chapters address issues not related to the effects of oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone on mental state. Hence, this is not a book for people whose interest in endocrinology is not directly related to sex hormones. On the other hand, there is plenty of useful data and references for those eager to learn more about the effects of sex hormones on behaviour. The two chapters that review the role of oestrogen and testosterone on depressive disorders are particularly good, although I regret the authors' choice not to discuss the relevance of studies linking premenstrual dysphoria and post partum blues to depression in the peri and postmenopausal periods. The chapter on sex hormones, cognition, dementia in the elderly is also good, but has two main limitations: (i) all of the information described has already been published as a systematic review by the author [1]; and (ii) the review does not include recent information on clinical trials of oestradiol replacement therapy for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, for example, studies by Henderson et al [2] and Mulnard et al. 2000 [3]. But then, a limitation of most medical textbooks published nowadays is that they are outdated when they finally come into the market. Other areas that are covered in this book include hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in ageing, hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis, gender and schizophrenia, sex steroids and anxiety, gender and the immune system, gender and pain, and psychotropic differences in drug metabolism. All of the information described in these chapters is useful, but not particularly new.
I liked the layout of the book, but warn readers that this is not the sort of book they can easily browse through to find the information they are looking for. Most chapters are entirely descriptive and have no tables or graphics to assist with the location of data, nor do they quickly summarize key points. Readers can partly get around this problem by making use of the headings and index, which was obviously carefully prepared.
I believe this book would be a good starting point for people who want to learn more about the effects of sex hormones on depression and dementia in later life. If you already work in the area you may enjoy having the book around for reference, but will probably be disappointed that new developments (such as the effect of testosterone on beta-amyloid metabolism) did not make it to the printers. Libraries should certainly consider getting a copy of the book. If your librarian gets a copy, I would not recommend that you spend your money.