Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

Of Blind Men And Brain Steroids, Michael A. Rogawski

Michael A. Rogawski

Review of "Neurosteroids: A New Regulatory Function in the Nervous System" (edited by Etiene-Emile Baulieu, Paul Robel and Michael Schumacher), Humana Press, 1999. ISBN 0896 03545X The first recognized example of the profound influence of steroid hormones on the nervous system was perhaps the observation in prehistoric times that animal behaviour changes dramatically during oestrus (the period of female sexual receptivity). In recent years, much specific evidence has accumulated confirming that steroids affect the structure and function of the nervous system through effects on neurogenesis, cell death, cell migration, synapse formation and neuronal excitability.