Effect of Finasteride on Behavioral Arousal and Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in Fetal Sheep

June 2001 in “ Neuroscience Letters ”

Marcus Nicol, Jonathan D. Hirst, David H. Walker

finasteride progesterone allopregnanolone GABAA receptor Propecia

TLDR Finasteride may affect fetal brain development and increase arousal, but more research is needed for safety confirmation.

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.

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research Effect of Finasteride on Behavioral Arousal and Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in Fetal Sheep

36 citations, June 2001 in “Neuroscience Letters”

Finasteride may affect fetal brain development and increase arousal, but more research is needed for safety confirmation.