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Neurosteroids

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Essentials of Cerebellum and Cerebellar Disorders

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Abstract

Neurosteroids are steroids that are produced locally within the central nervous system independently of adrenal glands and gonads. Enzymes involved in neurosteroid biosynthesis are expressed in the cerebellum. These agents modulate the development of cerebellar neurons as well as glial cells. Neurosteroids exert neuroprotective actions and modulate synaptic transmission and plasticity in mature neurons. Deficits in cerebellar neurosteroid production may play a role in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosciences, MSC08 4740, 1 University of New Mexico, 87131-0001, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    C. Fernando Valenzuela

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  1. C. Fernando Valenzuela
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Correspondence to C. Fernando Valenzuela .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Department, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA

    Donna L. Gruol

  2. Department of Integrative Physiology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan

    Noriyuki Koibuchi

  3. FNRS, ULB-Erasme, Bruxelles, Belgium

    Mario Manto

  4. Clinical Translational Research, Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy

    Marco Molinari

  5. Ataxia Unit, Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Laboratory for Neuroanatomy and Cerebellar Neurobiology, Department of Neurology Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Jeremy D. Schmahmann

  6. Department of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China

    Ying Shen

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Valenzuela, C.F. (2016). Neurosteroids. In: Gruol, D., Koibuchi, N., Manto, M., Molinari, M., Schmahmann, J., Shen, Y. (eds) Essentials of Cerebellum and Cerebellar Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24551-5_36

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