Detection of Estradiol in Rat Brain Tissues: Contribution of Local Versus Systemic Production

Estrogens have important effects on brain structure, function and behavior. Estrogens influence not only reproductive behaviors, but also affect mood, cognitive performance, synaptic plasticity, neurodegenerative disease, and functional recovery following brain injury (Erickson et al., 2007; Garcia-Segura, 2008; Gibbs, 2010; Greene, 2000; Sherwin and Henry, 2008; Walf and Frye, 2006). Estrogens are derived from cholesterol, which is converted in the mitochondria to 17 α-hydroxypregnenolone and then is transferred to smooth endoplasmic reticulum, converted to dehydroepiandrosterone and then to androgens (androstenedione and testosterone) (Boron and Boulpaep, 2003; Melmed, 2016).
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Source Type: research