Neurosteroids in child and adolescent psychopathology

Pavel Golubchik, Matthew Lewis, Rachel Maayan, Jonathan Sever, Rael Strous, Abraham Weizman*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

29 Scopus citations

Abstract

Neurosteroids play a significant role in neurodevelopment and are involved in a wide variety of psychopathological processes. There is accumulating evidence on their role in adult psychopathology, including Alzheimer disease, schizophrenia, mood disorder, anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. Little is known, however, about the possible role of neurosteroids in child and adolescent psychopathology although there is increasing evidence for their critical role from the early stages of brain development until adolescence. In this review we focus on the involvement of neurosteroids in neurodevelopment and mental disorders in children and adolescents. Adequate physiological levels protect the developing neural system from insult and contribute to the regulation of brain organization and function. Neurosteroids may be involved in the pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy of a variety of disorders in children and adolescents, including schizophrenia, depression, eating disorders, aggressive behavior and attention deficit. The complex interaction between neurosteroids, neurodevelopment, life-events, genetics and mental disorders in children and adolescents merits further investigation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)157-164
Number of pages8
JournalEuropean Neuropsychopharmacology
Volume17
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2007

Keywords

  • Adolescents
  • Neurodevelopment
  • Neurosteroid
  • Psychopathology
  • Treatment

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