[The neurotropic effect of progesterone].

Neurological diseases are frequently observed in perimenopausal women and can be characterised through their gender-specific occurrence. These observations raise the question, whether sexual steroids are also involved in neurologic diseases. Epidemiological data have shown, that in Austria in the year 1993 the prescription-rate of psychopharmaca, hypnotics, and analeptics for women between the age of 50 to 55 increased over 300% compared to other age-groups. In males of the same age an increase of the prescription-rate was not observed. Molecular research during the last ten years has found that sexual steroids may interact with the central nervous system via the GABA-receptor. These observations confirm the epidemiological data, that neurologic and psychological functions may be directly influenced by sexual steroids.