Ovarian Cycle-Related Neurosteroid Regulation of GABA-A Receptor Subunit Plasticity in the Hippocampus Subfields
April 2011
in “
The FASEB Journal
”
TLDR Progesterone-derived neurosteroids affect GABA-A receptor expression, influencing epilepsy during menstrual cycles.
The study investigated the role of ovarian cycle-related changes in GABA-A receptor subunit plasticity in seizure susceptibility among women with epilepsy. It was found that the δ-subunit of the GABA-A receptor was significantly increased in the dentate gyrus during the diestrous stage of the estrous cycle, compared to the estrous stage, while no such changes were observed in the CA1 or CA3 regions. The increase in δ-subunit expression was not affected by ovariectomy, indicating the influence of the ovarian cycle, and was reduced in mice treated with finasteride, a neurosteroid synthesis inhibitor. These findings suggested that progesterone-derived neurosteroids regulate GABA-A δ subunit expression, influencing tonic inhibition and catamenial epilepsy.