Does a steroid dementia syndrome really exist? A brief narrative review of what the literature highlights about the relationship between glucocorticoids and cognition

Abstract

Glucocorticoids (GCs) may cause cognitive impairment through complex pathways involving specific receptors. In the human brain, hippocampal CA1 neurons exhibit the highest level of GCs receptors. Even the elderly expressed these receptors. The purpose of this brief review is to concentrate on the relationship between GCs and cognition in order to discuss the effects of the so-called steroid dementia in routine clinical practice.