Effect of Finasteride on Behavioral Arousal and Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in Fetal Sheep
June 2001
in “
Neuroscience Letters
”
New to Finasteride? There is a guide in the encyclopedia. Read the guide → 
Studysummary This study found that finasteride increased fetal arousal activity in late gestation sheep by suppressing pregnane steroid synthesis, suggesting reduced GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
This study investigated the impact of finasteride on fetal sheep's behavior and somatosensory evoked potentials. The results showed that finasteride may affect fetal brain development by inhibiting the metabolism of progesterone to allopregnanolone, leading to a decrease in the availability of this steroid at the GABAA receptor. Finasteride increased fetal arousal during certain time periods after infusion, but did not have a significant effect on other behavioral parameters. The drug did not have adverse effects on fetal development, but more research is needed to confirm its safety.
