Inhibition of 5α-Reductase in the Nucleus Accumbens Counters Sensorimotor Gating Deficits Induced by Dopaminergic Activation

    October 2011 in “ Psychoneuroendocrinology ”
    Paola Devoto, Roberto Frau, Valentina Bini, Giuliano Pillolla, Pierluigi Saba, Giovanna Flore, Marta Corona, Francesco Marrosu, Marco Bortolato
    TLDR Finasteride may help improve certain brain function issues linked to dopamine.
    The study investigated the effects of the 5α-reductase inhibitor finasteride (FIN) on sensorimotor gating deficits induced by dopaminergic activation in rats, using a model of prepulse inhibition (PPI) deficits. A total of 448 male Sprague–Dawley rats were used. The findings indicated that FIN dose-dependently reversed PPI deficits primarily in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key area in the dopaminergic mesolimbic pathway, with a potential involvement of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). These results suggested that FIN's antipsychotic-like effects might be specifically related to dopaminergic neurotransmission, highlighting 5α-reductase as a potential therapeutic target for schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders. The study was supported by various grants, and no conflicts of interest were declared.
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