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Current Psychiatry Reports
Published in: Current Psychiatry Reports 11/2015

01-11-2015 | Women's Mental Health (CN Epperson, Section Editor)

GABAA Receptor-Modulating Steroids in Relation to Women’s Behavioral Health

Authors: Torbjörn Bäckström, Marie Bixo, Jessica Strömberg

Published in: Current Psychiatry Reports | Issue 11/2015

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Abstract

In certain women, increased negative mood relates to the progesterone metabolite, allopregnanolone (allo), during the luteal phase of ovulatory menstrual cycles, the premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). In anovulatory cycles, no symptom or sex steroid increase occurs but symptoms return during progesterone/allo treatment. Allo is a potent GABAA receptor-modulating steroid and as such is expected to be calming and anxiolytic. A relation to negative mood is unexpected. However, this paradoxical effect can be induced by all GABAA receptor modulators in low concentrations whereas higher concentrations are calming. The severity of the mood symptoms relate to allo in an inverted U-shaped curve at endogenous luteal-phase serum concentrations. Allo’s effects on the GABAA receptor can be antagonized by isoallopregnanolone (ISO), an antagonist to allo. ISO has also been used in a preliminary clinical trial on PMDD ameliorating symptoms with good effect in PMDD patients.
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Metadata
Title
GABAA Receptor-Modulating Steroids in Relation to Women’s Behavioral Health
Authors
Torbjörn Bäckström
Marie Bixo
Jessica Strömberg
Publication date
01-11-2015
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Current Psychiatry Reports / Issue 11/2015
Print ISSN: 1523-3812
Electronic ISSN: 1535-1645
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-015-0627-4

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