ReviewFrontiers in neuroscience2015
Effects of anabolic-androgens on brain reward function.
Review in Frontiers in neuroscience, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 55 citations in OpenAlex.
- Metformin reverses oxandrolone-induced anxiety-like behavior and amygdalar neurochemical dysregulation in male rats.Psychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids Revisited: Structural Biology, Receptor Signaling, and Mechanisms of Anabolic-Androgenic Dissociation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Effect of Testosterone on Maintenance of Morphine-induced Conditioned Place Preference: Androgen and μ-opioid Receptor Gene Expressions in PFC and NAc of Rats.Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Anabolic Androgenic Steroids: Emerging Use Disorder, Mechanisms of Action, and Clinical Considerations for Pharmacotherapy.Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) · 2026Article
- Estradiol protects against pain-facilitated fentanyl use via suppression of opioid-evoked dopamine activity in males.Neuron · 2025Article
- Development and validation of dependence and craving measures specific to athletes who use anabolic-androgenic steroids.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- The Uses of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids Among Athletes; Its Positive and Negative Aspects- A Literature Review.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2023Review
- Police officers' perspective on doping and prevention among recreational athletes: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2023Article
- Therapeutic Use and Chronic Abuse of CNS Stimulants and Anabolic Drugs.Current issues in molecular biology · 2022Review
- Sex differences in opioid receptor mediated effects: Role of androgens.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2022Review
- Anabolic androgenic steroids used as performance and image enhancing drugs in professional and amateur athletes: Toxicological and psychopathological findings.Human psychopharmacology · 2022Article
- Understanding exercise addiction, psychiatric characteristics and use of anabolic androgenic steroids among recreational athletes - An online survey study.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2022Article
- Facilitators and barriers in preventing doping among recreational athletes: A qualitative interview study among police officers.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Abuse among Gym Users, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2021Article
- Anabolic steroids-induced delirium: A case report.Medicine · 2020Article
- Article
- Male Anabolic Androgenic Steroid Users with Personality Disorders Report More Aggressive Feelings, Suicidal Thoughts, and Criminality.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2020Article
- Anabolic androgenic steroid abuse in the United Kingdom: An update.British journal of pharmacology · 2020Review
- The Modulating Role of Sex and Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Hormones in Cannabinoid Sensitivity.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2018Review
- Adolescent neural response to reward is related to participant sex and task motivation.Brain and cognition · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Androgens are mainly prescribed to treat several diseases caused by testosterone deficiency. However, athletes try to promote muscle growth by manipulating testosterone levels or assuming androgen anabolic steroids (AAS). These substances were originally synthesized to obtain anabolic effects greater than testosterone. Although AAS are rarely prescribed compared to testosterone, their off-label utilization is very wide. Furthermore, combinations of different steroids and doses generally higher than those used in therapy are common. Symptoms of the chronic use of supra-therapeutic doses of AAS include anxiety, depression, aggression, paranoia, distractibility, confusion, amnesia. Interestingly, some studies have shown that AAS elicited electroencephalographic changes similar to those observed with amphetamine abuse. The frequency of side effects is higher among AAS abusers, with psychiatric complications such as labile mood, lack of impulse control and high violence. On the other hand, AAS addiction studies are complex because data collection is very difficult due to the subjects' reticence and can be biased by many variables, including physical exercise, that alter the reward system. Moreover, it has been reported that AAS may imbalance neurotransmitter systems involved in the reward process, leading to increased sensitivity toward opioid narcotics and central stimulants. The goal of this article is to review the literature on steroid abuse and changes to the reward system in preclinical and clinical studies.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.