What is the Origin of Pregnenolone Memory?

This concept is derived from neuroendocrinology, specifically the research into neurosteroids—steroids synthesized de novo in the brain—and their direct non-genomic effects on neuronal excitability and synaptic plasticity. It highlights a specific cognitive role separate from its function as a precursor.

What is the Mechanism of Pregnenolone Memory?

Pregnenolone and its sulfate ester, pregnenolone sulfate, modulate the activity of various neurotransmitter receptors, most notably acting as a positive allosteric modulator of the NMDA receptor and an inverse agonist at the GABA-A receptor. This dual action increases neuronal excitability and enhances long-term potentiation, the molecular basis of memory. Maintaining adequate cerebral pregnenolone availability is thus a direct strategy for supporting robust memory function.

Pregnenolone Memory

Meaning

Pregnenolone Memory refers to the neurobiological influence of pregnenolone, the foundational neurosteroid, on the processes of memory formation, consolidation, and retrieval within the central nervous system. As a precursor to all other steroid hormones, its direct neuromodulatory effects are distinct and crucial for optimal cognitive function, particularly in hippocampal-dependent learning. Declining pregnenolone levels are clinically associated with age-related memory complaints.