---
title: Do hormone-related brain chemicals explain why some women develop mood disorders?
description: Possibly. Natural steroid hormones in the brain, like allopregnanolone, seem to affect GABA, the brain's main calming chemical, and this interaction may contr
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-interaction-of-neuroactive-steroids-and-gaba-in-the-development-of-2006/
---

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- Do hormone-related brain chemicals explain why some women develop mood disorders?

Review, 2006

# Do hormone-related brain chemicals explain why some women develop mood disorders?

Possibly. Natural steroid hormones in the brain, like allopregnanolone, seem to affect GABA, the brain's main calming chemical, and this interaction may contribute to mood and substance use disorders in women, according to a review of lab and clinical research.

 Early or limited evidence

Women with psychiatric or substance use disorders; review also draws on animal (rat) and laboratory studies.

## What they did

The authors reviewed clinical and lab (including animal) research on how neuroactive steroids such as estradiol, progesterone, and allopregnanolone interact with the GABA system, and included findings from their own brain-scan (proton MRS) studies.

## What they found

Neuroactive steroids modulate GABA, the brain's major inhibitory neurotransmitter, across different life stages. This steroid-GABA interaction is proposed as a key factor in psychiatric and substance use disorders linked to hormonal changes across the menstrual cycle, pregnancy/postpartum, and menopause.

## What it means for you

This supports the idea that hormone shifts could affect mood via brain chemistry, but the review combines human, animal, and lab data rather than a single controlled trial, so it cannot prove this causes mood disorders in any individual woman.

## About the study

Original title The interaction of neuroactive steroids and GABA in the development of neuropsychiatric disorders in women Authors Amin Z, Mason GF, Cavus I et al. Journal Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior Year 2006 Study design Review What was tested None tested directly; narrative review. Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2006.06.007](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2006.06.007)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Neurosteroids (allopregnanolone)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-neurosteroids/)[Alcohol, smoking and substance use](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-substance-use/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/)

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