Cited by 159Spatial Cognition and NavigationSexual Differentiation and DisordersHormonal and reproductive studies

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Testosterone levels and spatial ability in men

Silverman, Irwin, Kastuk, Don, Choi, Jean, Phillips, Krista·1999·Psychoneuroendocrinology

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Abstract

Testosterone (T) levels were measured by salivary assays in 59 males at times of the day when T was expected to be highest and lowest. Relationships were evaluated for mean hormone levels across the two sessions and hormone level changes between sessions with performance on three-dimensional mental rotations, a spatial test which customarily favours males. An anagrams task and the digit symbol test were used as controls. Mental rotations scores showed a significant positive relationship with mean T levels but not with changes in T. There were no significant relationships between control test scores and mean T levels. Findings are discussed in terms of their contributions to the resolution of ambiguities in prior reported data.

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Androgens and spatial ability: Failure to find a relationship between testosterone and ability measures
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Background
Neuroscientists as Cartographers: Mapping the Crossroads of Gonadal Hormones, Memory and Age Using Animal Models
Bimonte‐Nelson, H. A., Acosta, J. I., & Talboom, J. S. (2010) · Molecules · doi:10.3390/molecules15096050 · Cited by 46
“Testosterone was related to cognitive performance in young men and women, and spatial ability was related to the change in seasons in accordance with seasonal alterations in testosterone levels [197-199].”
Background
Effects of testosterone dose on spatial memory among castrated adult male rats
Wagner, B. A., Braddick, V. C., Batson, C. G., Cullen, B. H., Miller, L. E., & Spritzer, M. D. (2017) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.12.025 · Cited by 44
Effects of the pharmacologic manipulation of testosterone on cognitive functioning in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized, placebo-controlled treatment study.
Schattmann, L., & Sherwin, B. (2007) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2007.02.002 · Cited by 44
Pubertal testosterone predicts mental rotation performance of young adult males
Vuoksimaa, E., Kaprio, J., Eriksson, C. J. P., & Rose, R. J. (2012) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.03.013 · Cited by 43
“Nevertheless, other studies have reported a positive correlation between male favoring mental rotation ability and testosterone levels among males, as well (e.g. Silverman et al., 1999; Hooven et al., 2004).”
Background
Sex hormones and male health: effects on components of the frailty syndrome
Muller, M., Grobbee, D. E., Thijssen, J. H. H., van den Beld, A. W., & van der Schouw, Y. T. (2003) · Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism · doi:10.1016/s1043-2760(03)00083-3 · Cited by 42
Gender-affirming hormone treatment and cognitive function in transgender young adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Karalexi, M. A., Georgakis, M. K., Dimitriou, N. G., Vichos, T., Katsimpris, A., Petridou, E. T., & Papadopoulos, F. C. (2020) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104721 · Cited by 41
“, 2016); these differences seem to be mainly attributed to circulating hormonal changes (Ali et al., 2018; Beking et al., 2018; Burke et al., 2016b; Nguyen, 2018; Silverman et al., 1999).”
Common Ground for Spatial Cognition? A Behavioral and fMRI Study of Sex Differences in Mental Rotation and Spatial Working Memory
Levin, S. L., Mohamed, F., & Platek, S. (2005) · Evolutionary Psychology · doi:10.1177/147470490500300116 · Cited by 41
“We hypothesized that 1) consistent with existing studies (Geary et al., 1992; Gur et al., 2000; Jordan et al., 2002; McBurney et al., 1997; Moffat et al., 1998; O'Laughlin and Brubaker, 1998; Silverman et al., 1999), males would outperform females on a 3dimensional mental rotation task and 2) males would show greater…”
BackgroundResult
Activational effects of sex hormones on cognition in men
Ulubaev, A., Lee, D. M., Purandare, N., Pendleton, N., & Wu, F. C. W. (2009) · Clinical Endocrinology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2265.2009.03562.x · Cited by 38
Endogenous testosterone levels, mental rotation performance, and constituent abilities in middle-to-older aged men.
Martin, D., Wittert, G., Burns, N. R., & McPherson, J. (2008) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2007.11.012 · Cited by 36
“…previous studies on T and MRT performance have tended to use young university aged males (e.g., Hooven et al., 2004; Falter et al., 2006; Kempel et al., 2005; Gouchie and Kimura, 1991; Silverman et al., 1999), very little data exist on the association between plasma TandMRT performance as men age.”
MethodResult
Longitudinal episodic memory trajectories in older adults with normal cognition
Liampas, I., Folia, V., Ntanasi, E., Yannakoulia, M., Sakka, P., Hadjigeorgiou, G., Scarmeas, N., Dardiotis, E., & Kosmidis, M. (2022) · Clinical Neuropsychologist · doi:10.1080/13854046.2022.2059011 · Cited by 32
“…been suggested to at least partially account for the superior performance of men on visuospatial tasks, while oestrogens are considered to contribute to the higher overall female performance on verbal learning and memory tasks (Hamson et al., 2016; Hines et al., 2003; Silverman et al., 1999).”
Background
An update on the cognitive impact of clinically-used hormone therapies in the female rat: Models, mazes, and mechanisms
Acosta, J. I., Hiroi, R., Camp, B. W., Talboom, J. S., & Bimonte‐Nelson, H. A. (2013) · Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2013.01.016 · Cited by 30
“For example, testosterone was related to cognitive performance in young men and women, and spatial ability was related to seasonal changes in accordance with related alterations in testosterone levels (Kimura and Hampson, 1994; Neave et al., 1999; Silverman et al., 1999).”
Background
Testosterone levels and mental rotation performance in Chinese men.
Yang, C.-F. J., Hooven, C. K., Boynes, M., Gray, P. B., & Pope, H. G. (2007) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2006.12.005 · Cited by 22
Gender Differences in the Effects of Acute Stress on Spatial Ability
Gabriel, K. I., Hong, S. M., Chandra, M., Lonborg, S. D., & Barkley, C. L. (2010) · Sex Roles · doi:10.1007/s11199-010-9877-0 · Cited by 24
“That spatial ability is not fixed but variable is further supported by reports that testosterone levels are positively associated with the use of male-biased route-learning strategies and improved virtual maze and MR performance in men (Choi and Silverman 2002; Driscoll et al. 2005; Silverman et al. 1999 ) and women (…”
Background
Perspective and strategy interactively modulate sex differences in a 3D navigation task
Harris, T., Scheuringer, A., & Pletzer, B. (2019) · Biology of Sex Differences · doi:10.1186/s13293-019-0232-z · Cited by 26
Effects of testosterone on cognition in young adult male rhesus monkeys.
Lacreuse, A., Chiavetta, M. R., Shirai, A.-A. C., Meyer, J. S., & Grow, D. (2009) · Physiology and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2009.08.007 · Cited by 24
The Sex Specificity of Navigational Strategies in Alzheimer Disease
Cushman, L., & Duffy, C. J. (2007) · Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders · doi:10.1097/wad.0b013e318047df2f · Cited by 24
Physiological and psychological effects of testosterone during severe energy deficit and recovery: A study protocol for a randomized, placebo-controlled trial for Optimizing Performance for Soldiers (OPS)
Pasiakos, S. M., Berryman, C. E., Karl, J. P., Lieberman, H. R., Orr, J. S., Margolis, L. M., Caldwell, J. A., Young, A., Montano, M. A., Evans, W. J., et al. (2017) · Contemporary Clinical Trials · doi:10.1016/j.cct.2017.05.001 · Cited by 29
Developmental instability is associated with neurocognitive performance in heterosexual and homosexual men, but not in women.
Rahman, Q., Wilson, G., & Abrahams, S. (2004) · Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.1037/0735-7044.118.1.243 · Cited by 22
“, 2000), circulating gonadal steroids (from the postnatal to adult phase of development; Neave et al., 1999; Silverman et al., 1999), and maternal stress or teratogenic agents during gestation (Ellis & Cole-Harding, 2001; cf.”
Background
Effects of long distance translocation on corticosterone and testosterone levels in male rattlesnakes.
Heiken, K. H., Brusch, G., Gartland, S., Escallón, C., Moore, I., & Taylor, E. N. (2016) · General and Comparative Endocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.07.023 · Cited by 21
“, 2013), and humans (Janowsky et al., 1994; Postma et al., 2000; Silverman et al., 1999; Cherrier et al., 2001, 2007; Burkitt et al., 2007) that baseline T is positively correlated with spatial learning and memory (but see Naghdi et al.”
Background
Women outperform men in remembering to remember
Palermo, L., Cinelli, M., Piccardi, L., Ciurli, P., Incoccia, C., Zompanti, L., & Guariglia, C. (2016) · Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology · doi:10.1080/17470218.2015.1023734 · Cited by 21
“Post hoc analysis (Bonferroni test) showed that the women performed still significantly better than men in physical response trials (p, .05; women adjusted mean= 7.29; men adjusted mean= 6.79).”
MethodInfluential
Exploring the sex and gender correlates of cognitive sex differences
Kheloui, S., Brouillard, A., Rossi, M., Marin, M., Mendrek, A., Paquette, D., & Juster, R. (2021) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2021.103452 · Cited by 26
Gonadal steroids and visuo-spatial abilities in adult males: Implications for generalized age-related cognitive decline
Martin, D. M., Wittert, G., & Burns, N. R. (2007) · The Aging Male · doi:10.1080/13685530601183537 · Cited by 26
“Individually, none of these studies has actually obtained the proposed quadratic function in males [52].”
Background
Gender based variation in cognitive functions in adolescent subjects
Mittal, S., Verma, P., Jain, N., Khatter, S., & Juyal, A. (2012) · Annals of Neurosciences · doi:10.5214/ans.0972.7531.190406 · Cited by 19
Relationships between salivary estradiol and components of mental rotation in young men.
Kozaki, T., & Yasukouchi, A. (2008) · Journal of Physiological Anthropology · doi:10.2114/jpa2.27.19 · Cited by 18
Support for religio‐political aggression among teenaged boys in Gaza: Part II: Neuroendocrinological findings
Victoroff, J., Quota, S. R., Adelman, J. R., Celinska, B., Stern, N., Wilcox, R. R., & Sapolsky, R. M. (2010) · Aggressive Behavior · doi:10.1002/ab.20376 · Cited by 35
Local N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Antagonism in the Prefrontal Cortex Attenuates Spatial Cognitive Deficits Induced by Gonadectomy in Adult Male Rats
Locklear, M., Bhamidipaty, S., & Kritzer, M. (2014) · Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.12.032 · Cited by 16
“…in aging, clinical cases of hypogonadalism, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease and other disorders (Gordon and Lee, 1986; Christiansen and Knussmann, 1987; Janowsky et al., 1994; Silverman et al., 1999; Duff and Hampson, 2000; Cherrier et al., 2001, 2005, 2007; Janowsky, 2006; Moore et al., 2013).”
A Practical Guide to Gender Diversity for Computer Science Faculty
Franklin, D. M. (2013) · Synthesis lectures on professionalism and career advancement for scientists and engineers · doi:10.2200/s00495ed1v01y201304pro002 · Cited by 18
Is there a relationship between the performance in a chronometric mental-rotations test and salivary testosterone and estradiol levels in children aged 9-14 years?
Quaiser-Pohl, C., Jansen, P., Lehmann, J., & Kudielka, B. (2016) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/dev.21333 · Cited by 16
Short-term testosterone manipulations modulate visual recognition memory and some aspects of emotional reactivity in male rhesus monkeys.
Lacreuse, A., Gore, H. E., Chang, J., & Kaplan, E. (2012) · Physiology and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.02.008 · Cited by 15
“While positive associations have consistently been observed between endogenous T and various tests of visuospatial ability in young men [19-28], inconsistent results have been provided regarding the cognitive effects of exogenous T.”
Spatial abilities during the circalunar cycle in both sexes
Ostatníková, D., Hodosy, J., Skokňová, M., Putz, Z., Kúdela, M., & Celec, P. (2010) · Learning and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.lindif.2010.05.004 · Cited by 14
Performance Differences Between Adult Heterosexual and Homosexual Men on the Digit-Symbol Substitution Subtest of the WAIS-R
Rahman, Q., Wilson, G., & Abrahams, S. (2004) · Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology · doi:10.1076/jcen.26.1.141.23934 · Cited by 14
Eye-Movements During Navigation in a Virtual Environment: Sex Differences and Relationship to Sex Hormones
Harris, T., Hagg, J., & Pletzer, B. (2022) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2022.755393 · Cited by 13
Testosterone and gonadotropins but not estrogen associated with spatial ability in women suffering from schizophrenia: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Bergemann, N., Parzer, P., Kaiser, D., Maier-Braunleder, S., Mundt, C., & Klier, C. (2008) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2008.01.009 · Cited by 13
“In these studies, spatial ability improved during menses, that is, during a period of low estrogen levels (Hampson and Kimura, 1988; Hampson, 1990; Silverman et al., 1999).”
Background

Authors: Silverman, I., Kastuk, D., Choi, J., & Phillips, K.
Affiliations: York University (CA)
Corresponding author: Silverman, Irwin
ORCID: Silverman, Irwin
Choi, Jean
Venue: Psychoneuroendocrinology
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 1999-11
Volume: 24
Issue: 8
Pages: 813-822
ISSN: 0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4530(99)00031-1
OpenAlex: W2132952248
Cited by: 159
References: 0
Citations by year: 2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 9
FWCI: 14.11
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Spatial Cognition and Navigation
Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Hormonal and reproductive studies
Keywords: testosterone, spatial ability, mental rotation, salivary hormone levels, sex differences, diurnal variation, men, anagrams, digit symbol test
MeSH terms: Adult, Aptitude, Circadian Rhythm, Depth Perception, Female, Humans, Male, Orientation, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Problem Solving, Saliva, Sex Characteristics, Space Perception, Testosterone

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Testosterone levels and spatial ability in men

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