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Published on: December 9, 2013
[Recent advances on the study between steroids and brain function]
1Department of Neurobiology of the Third Military Medical University, Research Institute of Neuroscience in Chongqing, Chongqing 400038, China.
Abstract:
It is vital for steroid hormones synthesized in the gonad gland, adrenal gland and placenta to the development and physiological metabolism of the body. In particular, its regulatory effect on brain functions has attracted more and more attention, as nearly all the steroid hormones can be synthesized de novo in the brain. This means steroids derived from brain and peripheral gland can modulate the physiology and pathology of the brain reciprocally and importantly on many aspects such as learning and memory, synaptic transmission, neuroprotection, neurodegenerative diseases (especially Alzheimer's disease), emotion, stress, and menstrual-cycle-linked disorders. In the present review, some new advances are summarized.
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