Neurosteroids Involvement in the Epigenetic Control of Memory Formation and Storage
Alessandra Colciago; Valerio Magnaghi
Neural Plasticity2016
Summary (paraphrased)
Memory formation depends on strengthening synaptic connections in areas like the hippocampus, and the proteins involved are tightly regulated by DNA methylation and histone modifications. This review argues that neurosteroids participate in this epigenetic control of memory, influencing the transcriptional programs that consolidate synaptic plasticity. Steroid-driven epigenetic remodeling is presented as a mechanism by which transient hormonal signals are converted into durable changes in neuronal circuitry. The authors integrate evidence on how neurosteroid signaling converges on chromatin-modifying machinery during memory formation and storage.
Why it’s in the corpus
Directly couples the two corpus axes — neurosteroids and epigenetics — and offers a mechanism by which neurosteroid disruption could produce lasting cognitive symptoms (brain fog, memory complaints) in post-drug syndromes.
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