Publication Details
Abstract
Biochemical, physiological and pharmacological aspects of hormonal regulation by endogenous chemical compounds of steroid structure have been well known for several decades. First and foremost, these are steroid hormones of the glucocorticoid group, which are the main chemical effector of stress and, thanks to the work of Sellier and his followers, are considered to be one of the key links in the pathogenesis of a wide range of diseases. Steroids originating in the central and peripheral nervous system have been discovered and intensively studied during the past 15 years. They have a different spectrum of biological activity and, in contrast to hormones, which have a discrete action, these substances, termed neurosteroids (NS), interact with targets located near the site of their synthesis.