Neurosteroidal Regulation of the Fetal Rodent Brain

University Of California-San Francisco, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Abstract

Steroid compounds are well-known as hormones, and they have several actions in the brain itself. Recent discoveries showed that steroid hormone synthesis occurs in the central nervous system, and that steroid products regulate development and functional maturation of neurons (nerve cells) in the brain. The genes for synthesizing steroids in the brain are differentially generated compared with those in the adrenal gland or gonads. This project uses molecular and genetic approaches, including novel genetic knock-out mouse strains, to examine in vivo how some of the genes in the brain are regulated that encode steroidogenic enzymes, and how some of the steroids regulate neuronal development and function in rodents. Results will be important for a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating cellular differentiation during brain development, and so will have an impact beyond neuroendocrinolgy to developmental biology. The project also provides excellent training some of using the latest genetic technology.