Effects of Subchronic Finasteride Treatment and Withdrawal on Neuroactive Steroid Levels and Their Receptors in the Male Rat Brain

December 2015 in “ Neuroendocrinology ”

Silvia Giatti, Benedetta Foglio, Simone Romano, Marzia Pesaresi, Giancarlo Panzica, Luis M. Garcia-Segura, Donatella Caruso, Roberto Cosimo Melcangi

finasteride neuroactive steroids androgen receptor GABA-A receptor cerebral cortex cerebellum Propecia

TLDR Finasteride treatment changes brain steroid levels and receptors, affecting brain function even after stopping treatment.

The study investigated the effects of subchronic finasteride treatment and withdrawal on neuroactive steroid levels and their receptors in the male rat brain. The results showed that finasteride treatment caused alterations in the levels of neuroactive steroids in plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, and some brain regions, as well as an upregulation of the androgen receptor in the cerebral cortex and beta3 subunit of the GABA-A receptor in the cerebellum. These effects persisted even after the withdrawal of the treatment. The study suggests that finasteride treatment may have broad consequences for brain function.

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