Skip to main content

Astrocytes Steroid Synthesis

Meaning

The biochemical process wherein astrocytes, the star-shaped glial cells within the central nervous system, actively produce neurosteroids de novo from cholesterol or circulating steroid precursors. This localized synthesis is a critical component of intracrinology, establishing the brain’s capacity to regulate its own steroid milieu independent of peripheral endocrine glands. Astrocytes contribute essential neurosteroids like allopregnanolone and DHEA to modulate neuronal excitability, synaptic plasticity, and myelin maintenance.