title: Neuroactive steroids: new biomarkers of cognitive aging.
abstract: Intensive studies in animals established that neuroactive steroids display neuronal actions and influence behavioral functions. We describe here investigations on the role of neuroactive steroids in learning and memory processes during aging and suggest their role as biomarkers of cognitive aging. Our work demonstrated the role of the steroid pregnenolone (PREG) sulfate as a factor underlying an individual's age-related cognitive decline in animals. As new perspectives of research we argue that knowing whether neuroactive steroids exist as endogenous neuromodulators and modulate physiologically behavioral functions is essential. To this end, a new approach using the sensitive, specific, and accurate quantitative determination of neuroactive steroids by mass spectrometry seems to have potential for examining the role of each steroid in discrete brain areas in learning and memory alterations, as observed during aging.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U588, Institut F. Magendie, 1 rue Camille Saint-Saëns, 33077 Bordeaux Cedex, France. vallee@bordeaux.inserm.fr
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vallée
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Purdy
authors.forename: Willy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mayo
authors.forename: George F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Koob
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Le Moal
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D011987:Receptors, Steroid / Q000502:physiology; D013256:Steroids / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D011987:Receptors, Steroid; D013256:Steroids