Table 1.

Comparisons of demographic data, cognitive function, quality of life, and neurosteroids levels in male and female healthy subjects

Variables	Male (n=47)		Female (n=75)		Statistic value (T)	P-value
	Mean	SD	Mean	SD
Demographic data
Age, years	32.83	11.77	35.35	10.07	1.258	0.211
Height, cm	171.88	11.37	157.83	4.52	8.083	<0.001a
Body weight, kg	75.723	14.76	55.44	8.35	8.597	<0.001a
Years of education	16.02	2.67	16.23	2.49	0.431	0.667
Cognitive function (BACS)
Verbal memory	52.79	9.76	50.75	9.67	1.130	0.261
Working memory	51.06	9.04	50.43	6.55	0.450	0.653
Motor speed	47.91	9.95	48.69	7.85	0.480	0.632
Verbal fluency	48.96	10.57	49.91	9.68	0.509	0.612
Attention and processing speed	49.40	9.35	51.03	9.73	0.910	0.365
Executive function	50.00	9.77	52.79	7.37	1.789	0.076
Composite score of the BACS	49.89	9.06	51.09	7.97	0.767	0.444
Quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF)
Physical health	21.51	3.20	21.63	3.80	0.174	0.862
Psychological health	19.47	3.18	19.60	3.66	0.204	0.839
Social relations	13.87	2.46	14.13	2.72	0.534	0.594
Environment	31.55	4.73	31.76	5.73	0.207	0.836
Neurosteroids
DHEA (ng/mL)	9.31	5.08	7.11	3.76	2.748	0.007a
DHEA-S (µg/dL)	342.85	131.98	226.71	107.00	5.326	<0.001a
Pregnenolone (ng/mL)	6.14	4.70	3.87	3.94	2.867	0.005a
Cortisol (µg/dL)	10.19	3.56	9.09	3.48	1.674	0.097

Note:

^aP<0.05.

Abbreviations: BACS, the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia; DHEA, dehydroepiandrosterone; DHEA-S, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate; WHOQOL-BREF, the brief version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life.