Engel S R, Grant K A
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157-1083, USA.
Int Rev Neurobiol. 2001;46:321-48. doi: 10.1016/s0074-7742(01)46067-3.
Neurosteroid production may be a mechanism to counteract the negative effects of stress and return organisms toward homeostasis. Stress induces an increase in neurosteroid production. Neurosteroids affect two of the most widely distributed neurotransmitter and receptor systems in the central nervous system (CNS): gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate. This ability of this class of compounds to affect both the primary excitatory and the inhibitory systems in the CNS allows the modulation of a wide array of behaviors. For example, neurosteroids modulate anxiety, cognition, sleep, ingestion, aggression, and reinforcement. In general, neurosteroids that are positive modulators of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors enhance cognitive performance and decrease appetite. Neurosteroids that are positive modulators of GABAA receptors decrease anxiety, increase feeding and sleeping, and exhibit a bimodal effect on aggression that may be secondary to effects on anxiety and cognition. Some data suggest that neurosteroids have reinforcing effects, which could affect their clinical utility. Drug discrimination studies are helping scientists to dissect more closely the receptor systems affected by neurosteroids at the behavioral level.
神经甾体的产生可能是一种抵消应激负面影响并使机体恢复到内稳态的机制。应激会导致神经甾体产生增加。神经甾体影响中枢神经系统（CNS）中分布最广泛的两种神经递质和受体系统：γ-氨基丁酸（GABA）和谷氨酸。这类化合物影响中枢神经系统中主要兴奋性和抑制性系统的能力使得多种行为得以调节。例如，神经甾体调节焦虑、认知、睡眠、摄食、攻击和强化。一般来说，作为N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体正向调节剂的神经甾体会增强认知表现并降低食欲。作为GABAA受体正向调节剂的神经甾体会减轻焦虑、增加进食和睡眠，并对攻击行为呈现双峰效应，这可能继发于对焦虑和认知的影响。一些数据表明神经甾体具有强化作用，这可能会影响它们的临床应用。药物辨别研究正在帮助科学家在行为水平上更深入地剖析受神经甾体影响的受体系统。
