الصفحة 1
الصفحة 1
Neuroactive Steroids in Brain Function, Behavior and Neuropsychiatric Disorders : Novel Strategies for Research and Treatment
Over the past few decades the involvement of neurosteroids in brain function and mental health has attracted much interest, not only from a neuroscience perspective, but also from clinical and therapeutic aspects. In recent years, much of the research has focused on the multifunctional position of neurosteroids in the nervous system. The areas that have been explored, in particular, are the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the activity of neurosteroids in the brain, the role of neurosteroids in brain development, neurodegeneration and neuroplasticity, and their pharmacological properties. The large increase in the number of publications highlights this amplified interest in neurosteroids. Over the last 7 years at least 400 papers have been published describing the putative role of neurosteroids in the modulation of basic brain function and in the etiology and treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders.
Hormones and the brain
Peripheral hormones have a major impact on the brain: they are able to interfere with its development, to affect release of neurotransmitters and concentrations of receptors, to trigger growth factors involved in lesion repair. These multiple actions account for their capacity to modulate a number of physiological parameters, from reproductive functions to memory, behaviour and aging. Depending upon intensity and duration of exposure, they can be either neuroprotective or neurotoxic, for instance by affecting production of free radicals. This book, based on contributions of pioneer investigators in the field, outlines the ambiguous actions of gonadal steroids (estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, inhibin and activin) and of neurosteroids, related moieties produced in the brain itself. After summarizing their multiple mechanisms of action, which involve both direct effects on neuronal membranes and activation of genes coding for specific proteins in neurons or glial cells, the book outlines the role of hormones in pathogenic processes such as mental disturbances or neurodegenerative diseases.
