title: Control of neuronal excitability by corticosteroid hormones.
abstract: The rat adrenal hormone corticosterone can cross the blood-brain barrier and bind to two intracellular receptor populations in the brain--the mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors. Recent studies have revealed that the corticosteroid hormones are able to restore changes in neuronal membrane properties induced by current or neurotransmitters, probably through a genomic action. In general, mineralocorticoid receptors mediate steroid actions that enhance cellular excitability, whereas activated glucocorticoid receptors can suppress temporarily raised neuronal activity. The steroid-mediated control of excitability and the implications for information processing in the brain are reviewed in this article.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Experimental Zoology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Joëls
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: de Kloet
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid