ABSTRACT
As its sulfate ester, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is the major circulating steroid hormone in the young adult primate and is secreted from the cortex of the adrenal gland. This circulating dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) serves as a pool of the free steroid DHEA, following uptake then desulfation by the steroid sulfatase (Sts) enzyme in various tissues (Reed et al. 2005; Miller 2009; Hobkirk 1985). Secretion of DHEAS by the adrenal gland shows a characteristic pattern over life, suggestive of functional roles, although few have been fully elucidated. In this chapter, we will focus on the possible role of DHEA in learning and memory, either as the free steroid or as DHEAS.
