Traditionally sex hormones have been associated with reproductive and developmental
processes only. Since the 1950s we know that hormones can have organizational effects on …

Psychiatry research lacks an in-depth understanding of mood disorders phenotypes, leading
to limited success of genetics studies of major depressive disorder (MDD). The dramatic …

Fluctuating neurosteroid levels over the ovarian cycle modulate neuronal excitability through
effects on GABA A receptors (GABA A Rs). The large increase in progesterone-derived …

Some environmental stressors lead to the onset of depression via inhibiting hippocampal
BDNF expression, but other environmental stressors-induced depression exhibits no …

Regulation of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical (HPA) axis activity by stress is a
fundamental survival mechanism and HPA-dysfunction is implicated in psychiatric disorders …

Stress and previous adverse life events are well-established risk factors for depression.
Further, neuroendocrine disruptions are associated with both major depressive disorder …

Depressive disorders, including major depression, are serious and disabling. However, the
exact pathophysiology of depression is not clearly understood. Life stressors contribute in …

The lifetime risk for major depression in women is well known to be twice the risk in men and
is especially high during the reproductive years between menarche and menopause. A …

Steroid hormones (eg estrogens, androgens, progestagens) which are synthesized de novo
or metabolized within the CNS are called neurosteroids. There is substantial evidence from …

Stress and social isolation are well-known risk factors for psychopathology. However, more
research is needed as to the physiological mechanisms by which social support buffers the …