Gonadal steroids: humoral modulators of nerve-cell function.

The gonadal steroids, estradiol, testosterone and progesterone, alter neuroendocrine function and behavior in adult mammals and do so by acting on the central nervous system and pituitary gland. Besides intracellular receptor sites, various cellular and chemical actions of gonadal steroids are being studied within the brain and pituitary. The review summarizes the present state of such research and points as well to new advances in our understanding of the cellular basis of developmental events such as brain sexual differentiation and puberty, which are influenced by gonadal steroids.