TLDR Changing neuroactive steroid levels early in life can affect how adult rats respond to alcohol's stimulating effects.
The study investigated the effects of neonatal and adolescent neuroactive steroid manipulation on ethanol-induced locomotor activity in male Wistar rats. Neonatal administration of finasteride, an allopregnanolone synthesis inhibitor, decreased sensitivity to the stimulant effects of low ethanol doses in adulthood. This effect was not observed in rats treated with progesterone during early adolescence, which induced anxiolytic-like effects. The findings suggested that neuroactive steroid manipulations during critical developmental stages could significantly influence behavioral responses to alcohol, such as sensitivity to its locomotor stimulating effects.
3 citations
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May 2016 in “Behavioural Brain Research” Finasteride given to baby rats reduces dopamine release and increases alcohol consumption in adult males.
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January 2008 in “Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin” Finasteride almost fully depletes allopregnanolone in rat brains and enhances 20α-DHP, but doesn't change 3α-DHP levels.
59 citations
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November 2018 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Lower levels of certain brain chemicals are linked to worse PTSD symptoms in men.
