Testosterone Levels Associated with Serotonin Activity in the Brain

Testosterone and other Androgen hormones have a strong and potent impact on mental function and wellness.

There are a wide variety of studies that have investigated how Testosterone affects the minds of both men and women. For example, changing female hormone levels are associated with both premenstrual mood changes and post-partum depression. Of course, not all effects of Testosterone on women are adverse, however.

Natural Testosterone Levels benefit sexual desire and emotional health positively for women, in a similar manner as they do in men.

There is strong clinical evidence that shows that Testosterone Deficiency is associated with an increased risk of depression and mood disorders among men, and research has also shown that Bio-Identical Testosterone Therapy has the power to improve the psychological outlook of male patients taking Low-T Patches, Injections, and Creams for Low-T, but the exact mechanism by which Testosterone alters mood is less well understood.

Recent data produced by the University of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy has shown that Testosterone improves Serotonin signaling in the brain by boosting the volume of proteins that are designed to transport Serotonin.

The study was conducted by scientific researchers at the Medical University of Vienna. Many anti-depressant medications available today work by enhancing the levels of Serotonin active in the brain, whether through the use of Selective-Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), or other treatments such as Benzodiazepines and MAO-Inhibitors.

This research shows that a month of Testosterone Restoration and Optimization has an apparent ability to improve Serotonin activity by increasing the volume of protein transporters.

Testosterone-Depression Study Uses Transexuals to Investigate the Effects of Testosterone on Mental Health

Transexuals make up a fascinating subset of individuals which can provide medical researchers with a plethora of data regarding Testosterone's impact on the mind and the body.

The lead investigator for this study was Dr. Georg Kranz, and he explains that people that choose to undergo Hormone Replacement for gender-identity issues feel uncomfortable as their naturally-assigned gender, and seek out Hormone Treatments and Hormone Suppression designed to help them look and feel more like a member of the opposite sex.

Men that undergo treatment for Hormone Reassignment take Bio-Identical Estrogen, and undergo medical therapies that are designed to limit the release and expression of Testosterone.

Women, on the other hand, take Estrogen Inhibitors and are prescribed Recombinant Testosterone Therapy intended to provide them with Testosterone Levels associated with males.

The researchers from the Medical University of Vienna combined their efforts with specialists from the Gynaecology and Nuclear Medicine departments, using PET-Scans to evaluate the effects of sex hormones on transgendered patients.

PET is short for Positron Emission Tomography, and PET-Scans utilize low-dose radioactive substances to assess the internal functions of the body.

After only a month of Testosterone Replacement Treatment, it was discovered that Serotonin Transporter concentrations increased by a significant amount.

Continuing therapy longer than a month improved these concentrations even further, though it is unclear from the study exactly how long these levels continue to rise as a result of treatment. Similarly, Testosterone Levels have been correlated with Serotonin Transporter Levels in other studies as well.

How Does This Serotonin-Testosterone Study Change What We Know about Testosterone and Emotion?

There are many studies that have shown that Testosterone Levels are directly associated with psychological health. For example, SSRIs work by increasing the amount of time that Serotonin is active in the bloodstream and the brain, thereby improving mood and mitigating anxiety for many patients.

Testosterone positively amplifies the effects of SSRIs by increasing the number of proteins that bind with Serotonin in the bloodstream, thereby further improving the activity of Serotonin in the brain.

The combination of Testosterone Replacement, physical activity, and SSRI Treatment has shown the best results for improving mood stability and anxiety levels in patients with Low-T.

As usual, a comprehensive approach is the best option for patients, tackling mental health issues from multiple angles simultaneously.

This Transgender HRT Study opens the door for further studies designed to evaluate how men and women respond to psychological stress in different ways.

In this study, women have been shown to have fewer Serotonin Transporters than men, and future studies can further elucidate the effects of this gender divide to help provide gender-specific treatments that can improve mental health outcomes for both men and women in the future.

References

Serotonin

How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs

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