Role of Neurosteroids in Regulating Cell Death and Proliferation in the Late Gestation Fetal Brain

The study investigated the role of the neurosteroid allopregnanolone (AP) in regulating cell death and proliferation in the late gestation fetal brain using fetal sheep. Researchers inhibited AP synthesis with finasteride, a 5α-reductase type 2 inhibitor, and observed increased apoptosis in the hippocampus and cerebellum, which was mitigated by co-infusion with the AP analogue alfaxalone. Finasteride also increased cell proliferation, primarily in astrocytes. These findings suggested that neurosteroids like AP played a significant role in brain development by influencing apoptosis and proliferation rates in the fetal brain.