Finasteride and Epileptic Activity

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Please post here studies related to Finasteride and Epileptic activity.

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Subject: Neurosteroids and Epileptogenesis
Keywords: Allopregnanolone Epileptogenesis P450scc Finasteride

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23763517

. The P450scc enzyme is critically involved in the synthesis of neurosteroids and its up-regulation is associated with a delayed appearance of spontaneous recurrent seizures in rats that experienced status epilepticus induced by pilocarpine. Moreover, by decreasing the synthesis of neurosteroids able to promote inhibition, such as allopregnanolone, through the administration of the 5α-reductase blocker finasteride, it is possible to terminate the latent period in pilocarpine-treated rats. Finasteride was also found to promote seizures in the chronic period of epileptic rats, suggesting that neurosteroids are continuously produced to counteract seizures. In humans, exacerbation of epilepsy has been also described in patients occasionally exposed to finasteride.

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Subject: Finasteride inhibits the Progesteron protection from Seizure
Keywords: Finasteride Progesterone Seizure Epilepsy allopregnanolone stress

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22835430

It is hypothesized that 5α-reductase converts P to allopregnanolone and related neurosteroids that retard epileptogenesis in the brain. To test this hypothesis, we utilized the mouse hippocampus kindling model of epileptogenesis and investigated the effect of finasteride, a 5α-reductase and neurosteroid synthesis inhibitor. Progesterone markedly retarded the development of epileptogenesis and inhibited the rate of kindling acquisition to elicit stage 5 seizures. Pretreatment with finasteride led to complete inhibition of the P-induced retardation of the limbic epileptogenesis in mice. Finasteride did not significantly influence the acute seizure expression in fully kindled mice expressing stage 5 seizures.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22654805

Neurosteroids such as allopregnanolone (3α-hydroxy-5α-pregnane-20-one) and allotetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone (3α,21-dihydroxy-5α-pregnan-20-one) are positive modulators of GABA-A receptors.

Unlike benzodiazepines, tolerance does not occur to their actions during chronic administration

There is emerging evidence that endogenous neurosteroids may play a key role in the pathophysiology of catamenial epilepsy, stress-sensitive seizure conditions, temporal lobe epilepsy, and alcohol-withdrawal seizures.