Finasteride Administration Potentiates the Disruption of Prepulse Inhibition Induced by Forced Swim Stress
April 2015
in “
Behavioural Brain Research
”
TLDR Finasteride worsens stress effects on sensory processes, possibly linking to anxiety/depression.
The study investigated the effects of acute swim stress on prepulse inhibition (PPI) response in rats and found that finasteride administration, which decreases the levels of the neurosteroid allopregnanolone (ALLO), can increase the negative effects of stress on sensory gating processes. The study suggests that the maintenance of adequate levels of plasma and/or brain ALLO levels can be protective against the deleterious effects of environmental stress. The study also suggests a possible linkage to mood disorders such as anxiety/depression that have been reported in post-finasteride syndrome patients.