Endocrine Abstracts

It is now well known that peripheral nervous system (PNS) is able to synthesize neurosteroids and to convert them, or hormonal steroids coming from the periphery, in neuroactive steroids. Moreover, PNS possess both classical (e.g., progesterone receptor, PR, androgen receptor, AR) and non-classical (e.g., GABAA receptor) steroid receptors and consequently may represent a target for the action of neuroactive steroids. Our data have indicated that neuroactive steroids, like for ...

Endogenous as well as exogenous androgens and oestrogen have neuroprotective properties. Oestrogen is formed locally in neural tissue from precursor androgens. In the brain, the expression of aromatase, the enzyme that catalyses the conversion of androgens to oestrogen, is restricted, under normal circumstances, to specific neuronal populations involved in neuroendocrine control and in the modulation of reproductive or sexually dimorphic behaviours. However, the expression of ...

The hormone oestrogen is reported to be the most widely prescribed drug worldwide through its use in the contraceptive pill and in hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Oestrogen and HRT has been widely prescribed for prevention of osteoporosis and relief of menopausal symptoms. However, as women age, their risk of stroke and heart disease also increases, particularly after the menopause. The effects of oestrogen on stroke risk and on the ischaemic brain are complex and still not...

Epidemiological and clinical studies provide evidence for sex differences in the incidence or severity of certain neurological conditions. For example Parkinson's disease, which is characterised by a progressive degeneration of dopaminergic (DA) neurones in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and a reduction in DA levels in the striatum, is more prevalent in men than women. Therefore, our work aimed to establish whether physiological levels of sex steroid hormones confer ...