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Abstract
<p class="first" id="d1698153e70">Neurosteroids are steroids synthesized within the
central nervous system either from
cholesterol or by metabolic reactions of circulating steroid hormone precursors. It
has been suggested that neurosteroids exert pleiotropic activities within the central
nervous system, such as organization and activation of the central nervous system
and behavioral regulation. It is also increasingly becoming clear that neuropeptides
exert pleiotropic activities within the central nervous system, such as modulation
of neuronal functions and regulation of behavior, besides traditional neuroendocrinological
functions. It was hypothesized that some of the physiological functions of neuropeptides
acting within the central nervous system may be through the regulation of neurosteroids
biosynthesis. Various neuropeptides reviewed in this study possibly regulate neurosteroids
biosynthesis by controlling the activities of enzymes that catalyze the production
of neurosteroids. It is now required to thoroughly investigate the neuropeptidergic
control mechanisms of neurosteroids biosynthesis to characterize the physiological
significance of this new neuroendocrinological phenomenon.
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