Table 2.
Neurosteroids in human neurologic and neuropsychiatric disorders.
| Disorder | Neurosteroid(s) | Clinical response | Memory |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE | |||
| Temporal cortex: Naylor et al. (67) | Increased DHEA and PREG decrease ALLO levels | ALLO levels inversely correlate with Braak and Braak neuropathological stage | NR |
| Striatum and cerebellum: Hypothalamus: Weill-Engerer et al. (60) | Low PregS and DHEAS Low DHEAS | Negative correlation between cortical β-amyloid and PregS in striatum and cerebellum Negative correlation between levels of pTau and DHEAS | NR |
| DHEAS: Carlson et al. (68) | Increases in plasma | AD risk not linked with DHEAS | Increased memory performance |
| Cortisol: Csernansky et al. (69) | Increases in plasma | More rapid disease progression | Increased memory performance |
| Cortisol: Carlson et al. (68) | Decreases in plasma | No relationship to AD risk | Increased Delayed Route Recall |
| DHEA in women: Rasmuson et al. (70) | Increases in serum | Associated with AD risk | NR |
| DHEA and DHEAS in men: Aldred and Mecocci (71) | Decreases in plasma | Associated with AD risk | NR |
| Cortisol in men: Rasmuson et al. (70) | Increases in serum | Associated with AD risk | NR |
| aMCI in men: Cherrier et al. (72) | Testosterone treatment | Reduced depression | Improved verbal memory |
| MOOD DISORDERS | |||
| GAD in elderly: Mantella et al. (73) | Increased saliva cortisol | Positive correlation between symptoms and saliva cortisol | NR |
| Generalized social phobia in men: Heydari and Le Mellédo (74) | Decreased plasma PregS | PregS levels lower in generalized social phobia subjects | NR |
| PTSD in women: Rasmusson et al. (75) | Decreased CSF ALLO | ALLO/DHEA correlates negatively with PTSD and Profile of Mood States depression dejection scores | NR |
| PTSD in men: Rasmusson et al. (76) | ALLO and pregnanolone CSF | Negative correlation between ALLO + pregnanolone and symptoms severity | NR |
| Acute stress: Droogleever Fortuyn et al. (77) | Increased plasma ALLO | Peripheral benzodiazepine receptor density increased in blood platelets | NR |
| Acute psychosocial stress in elderly: Wolf et al. (78) | DHEA at 50 mg/kg/day for 2 weeks | DHEAS lower than in young adults. DHEA replacement increases DHEAS | Enhanced attention; Impaired declarative memory and recall, but not spatial memory. |
| Dysphoria: Premenstrual Girdler et al. (79) | Increased plasma ALLO/progesterone | Greater levels of premenstrual anxiety | NR |
| Post-partum depression: Kanes et al. (80, 81) | ALLO | Reduction in hamilton depression rating scale scores. | NR |
| SCHIZOPHRENIA | |||
| Marx et al. (50) | Adjunctive PREG | Improves negative symptoms and ameliorates cognitive deficits | NR |
| Marx et al. (51) | Treatment with PREG for 8 weeks | Increases serum PREG and its metabolites ALLO and PregS | Increased serum PREG aligns with BACS score |
| CATAMENIAL EPILEPSY | |||
| Herzog (22) Herzog and Frye (82) | Progesterone ALLO | Associated with progesterone No association between serum ALLO and seizure frequencies in women treated with progesterone stratified by catamenial vs. non-catamenial epilepsy Serum ALLO correlated with seizure reduction in progesterone-treated women who reported a 3-fold or greater perimenstrual increase in average daily seizure frequency | NR |
| Partial intractable epilepsy: Valencia-Sanchez et al. (83) | Adjunctive progesterone | No effect on catamenial or non-catamenial seizures | NR |
NR, not reported.