Article

Involvement of GABAA receptor modulating neuroactive steroids in patients with social phobia.

Laboratory of Biological Psychiatry, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Beilinson Campus, Petah Tiqva, Israel.
Psychiatry Research (impact factor: 2.52). 12/2005; 137(1-2):131-6. DOI:10.1016/j.psychres.2005.07.003 pp.131-6
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate ester (DHEA-S), neurosteroids synthesized in the brain, are weak gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) A receptor allosteric antagonists that may be involved in anxiety disorders. In the present study we measured the circulatory [corrected] levels of DHEA, DHEA-S, pregnenolone and cortisol in [corrected] untreated patients (n=26) diagnosed with social phobia (SP) compared with sex- and age-matched healthy controls (n=21). No significant differences in neurosteroids were observed in [corrected] untreated SP patients and [corrected] compared with healthy controls. The findings may reflect an absence of involvement of the GABA(A) modulators DHEA, DHEA-S and pregnenolone in SP.

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Keywords

[corrected] untreated patients
 
[corrected] untreated SP patients
 
age-matched healthy controls
 
anxiety disorders
 
circulatory [corrected] levels
 
Dehydroepiandrosterone
 
neurosteroids
 
neurosteroids synthesized
 
receptor allosteric antagonists
 
social phobia
 
weak gamma-aminobutyric acid