Neuroactive Steroids in First-Episode Psychosis: A Role for Progesterone?

Neuroactive steroids may play a role in the pathophysiology of psychotic disorders, but few studies examined this issue. We compared serum levels of cortisol, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, and progesterone between a representative sample of first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients and age- and gender-matched healthy subjects. Furthermore, we analyzed the associations between neuroactive steroids levels and the severity of psychotic symptom dimensions. Male patients had lower levels of progesterone than controls (). Progesterone levels were inversely associated with the severity of positive symptoms (). Consistent with preclinical findings, results suggest that progesterone might have a role in the pathophysiology of psychotic disorders.