Hippocampus

Memory Consolidation

Turning the day's experience into durable memory, which happens during deep and REM sleep rather than during the day. This is the step that breaks first when sleep breaks, and it is why memory complaints on these compounds usually trace back to sleep rather than to anything the compound does in the brain.

Verbal Memory

Recall of words, names and conversation. Studied in testosterone trials in older men with mixed and generally small results, which is worth stating plainly: this is one of the few cognitive measures here with any controlled human data at all, and the data does not show a large effect.

Working Memory

Holding and manipulating information over seconds. The cognitive measure most sensitive to lost sleep and to raised cortisol, which makes it the one most likely to move on these compounds and the one least likely to be noticed as a cognitive effect rather than as tiredness.