Progesterone-Induced Spike-Wave Discharges Are Inhibited by Finasteride

    January 2004 in “ Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) ”
    Bogusława Budziszewska, Magdalena Tetich, E.L.J.M. van Luijtelaar, Władysław Lasoń
    TLDR Finasteride blocks progesterone's effect on brain activity linked to epilepsy.
    The study found that progesterone increased spike-wave discharges (SWD) in WAG/Rij rats, a model for absence epilepsy, by 54% and 97% at doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg, respectively. This effect was blocked by finasteride, a 5α-reductase inhibitor, suggesting that the increase in SWD was mediated by progesterone's conversion to its neuroactive metabolite, allopregnanolone. Finasteride alone did not affect SWD, indicating its specific role in inhibiting the progesterone-induced increase.
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