Steroid Hormones and Their Action in Women's Brains: The Importance of Hormonal Balance

Abstract

Sex hormones significantly impact women's lives. Throughout the different stages of life, from menarche to menopause and all stages in between, women experience dramatic fluctuations in the levels of progesterone and estradiol, among other hormones. These fluctuations affect the body as a whole, including the central nervous system (CNS). In the CNS, sex hormones act via steroid receptors. They also have an effect on different neurotransmitters such as GABA, serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate. Additionally, studies show that sex hormones and their metabolites influence brain areas that regulate mood, behavior, and cognitive abilities. This review emphasizes the benefits a proper hormonal balance during the different stages of life has in the CNS. To achieve this goal, it is essential that hormone levels are evaluated considering a woman's age and ovulatory status, so that a correct diagnosis and treatment can be made. Knowledge of steroid hormone activity in the brain will give women and health providers an important tool for improving their health and well-being.

Jie-Yu Pill, A Proprietary Herbal Medicine, Ameliorates Mood Disorder-Like Behavior and Cognitive Impairment in Estrogen-Deprived Mice Exposed to Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress: Implication for a Potential Therapy of Menopause Syndrome

“…GABA and glutamate are two key neurotransmitters that work together to maintain a balance between excitatory and inhibitory transmission in the brain ( 39 ). Dramatic fluctuations in the levels of ovarian hormones during menopause transition profoundly disturbs this functional balance, causing pathological anxiety, mood, and cognitive disorders ( 40 ). This study revealed that, in addition to the hypothalamic GABA, ovarian hormone deprivation plus stress exposure also exhausted GABA contents in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, but largely restored the glutamate contents and expression of its receptor NMDR1 in the two brain regions, probably causing an imbalance of opposite effects of the two amino acid transmitters.…”

Influence of ovarian hormones on value-based decision-making systems: Contribution to sexual dimorphisms in mental disorders

“…2B; for review see Barth et al, 2015). Estradiol modulates the serotonergic system from the level of serotonin synthesis and degradation to binding and reuptake (for review see Del Río et al, 2018). However, describing the effects of estradiol on serotonin as clearly excitatory or inhibitory is challenging.…”

Sex is a defining feature of neuroimaging phenotypes in major brain disorders

“…Testosterone levels remain fairly stable throughout adulthood in both males and females [Handelsman et al, 2016], with modest decline in males that begins around the fifth decade [Feldman et al, 2002;Harman et al, 2001]. By contrast, females experience dynamic changes in estrogen and progesterone across the menstrual cycle, during pregnancy, and at menopause [Del Río et al, 2018]. Testosterone levels are lower in females than males, whereas estrogen levels are lower in males than premenopausal females; estrogen levels between males and postmenopausal females are relatively similar [Handelsman et al, 2016;Nugent et al, 2012;Rothman et al, 2011].…”