Neuroactive steroid

Patent Pending Neuroactive steroids, also known as neurosteroids, are endogenous steroids that rapidly alter neuronal excitability through interaction with ligand-gated ion channels and other cell surface receptors.[1][2] The term neurosteroid was coined by the French physiologist Étienne-Émile Baulieu and refers to steroids synthesized in the brain.[3] In contrast, neuroactive steroid refers to steroids that are synthesized by an endocrine gland that then reach the brain through the bloodstream and have effects on brain function.