February 2023
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Steroid hormone use is still popular among athletes; according to the 2021 testing figures of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), almost 900 samples tested positive for steroids. Steroids are also widely used for medical reasons, e.g., hormonal contraception, hormone replacement therapy, or cancer treatment. In addition to the desired therapeutic effect, steroids can cause numerous undesirable side effects. For instance, an influence of hormonal contraceptives on the development of mental illnesses has been controversially discussed for years, and several reports are suggesting a similar effect with corticoids. Consequently, the entire class of steroids and steroid receptor ligands is suspected of negatively influencing users’ mental health. So far, the findings are based on clinical and epidemiological studies; to the best of our knowledge, no evidence has been obtained under controlled laboratory conditions. This project aims to investigate the influence of steroids on the transcriptome of neuronal cells.