Three microRNAs that suppress the expression of enzymes involved in neurosteroid synthesis are upregulated in the cerebral white matter of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a Canadian study shows. Levels of neurosteroids such as allopregnanolone were reduced in the brains of these patients, and allopregnanolone treatment in a mouse MS model ameliorated some of the neuropathological and neurobehavioral features of the disease. These findings raise the possibility of using neurosteroids as biomarkers or therapeutic agents in MS.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Noorbakhsh, F. et al. Impaired neurosteroid synthesis in multiple sclerosis. Brain 134, 2703–2721 (2011)
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MicroRNA profiling reveals impaired neurosteroidogenesis. Nat Rev Neurol 7, 597 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2011.170
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2011.170