Epilepsy and Sex Hormones

There is a mutual interaction between sex steroid hormones and epilepsy. Although female and male sex hormones and their metabolites access the brain via the blood brain barrier, they can also be synthesized de novo from cholesterol within the glia and neurones (neurosteroids). While estrogens enhance neuronal excitability, progesterone and its metabolites exert anticonvulsant effects. Testosterone, on the other hand, has a less consistent effect on seizure susceptibility, depending on the ratio of its conversion to estrogens. This paper focuses on the effects of neurosteroidal sex hormones on seizure susceptibility. Further study is required to identify the future role of their use in the treatment of epilepsy.