Abstract.
The levels of the neuroactive steroids allopregnanolone (THP) and 5α-dihydroprogesterone (DHP) were quantified in the plasma of 11 (group 1) and in the liquor of 12 (group 2) Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients using a gas-chromatographic/ mass-spectrometric method. When compared with controls, both groups showed a significant decrease in DHP and THP concentrations. These decreases could be a useful marker of PD. Moreover, in view of the importance of GABA-ergic transmission to substantia nigra (SN) neurons and GABA-ergic modulation exerted by the two neuroactive steroids, our data indicate a global dysregulation of the SN GABA-ergic system in PD patients. Moreover, a lack of neuroprotective factors (i. e., GDNF, BDNF), promoted by DHP, may contribute to dopaminergic cell death.
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di Michele, F., Longone, P., Romeo, E. et al. Decreased plasma and cerebrospinal fluid content of neuroactive steroids in Parkinson’s disease. Neurol Sci 24, 172–173 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-003-0115-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-003-0115-1