Gonadal steroids and affective illness

Gonadal steroids seem to regulate affective state in some people (but not all), despite the absence of abnormal steroid hormone levels or dysfunction of the reproductive endocrine axis. In this article, we attempt to explain this paradox 1) by describing the molecular mechanisms by which gonadal steroids can regulate neuronal function; 2) by describing the specific regulatory impact of gonadal steroids on two systems implicated in the pathophysiology of mood disorders; and 3) by defining the role of gonadal steroids in several mood disorders linked to periods of reproductive change. We suggest that the context in which the neuroregulatory actions of gonadal steroids occur determines the impact of steroid signaling on the regulation of affective state.