Neurosteroids are neuroactive brain-born steroids. They can act through non-genomic and/or through genomic pathways. Genomic pathways are largely described for steroid hormones: the binding to nuclear receptors leads to transcription regulation. Pregnenolone, Dehydroepiandrosterone, their respective sulfate esters and Allopregnanolone have no corresponding nuclear receptor identified so far whereas some of their non-genomic targets have been identified. Neuroplasticity is the capacity that neuronal networks have to change their structure and function in response to biological and/or environmental signals; it is regulated by several mechanisms, including those that involve neurosteroids.

In this review, after a description of their biosynthesis, the effects of Pregnenolone, Dehydroepiandrosterone, their respective sulfate esters and Allopregnanolone on their targets will be exposed. We then shall highlight that neurosteroids, by acting on these targets, can regulate neurogenesis, structural and functional plasticity. Finally, we will discuss the therapeutic potential of neurosteroids in the pathophysiology of neurological diseases in which alterations of neuroplasticity are associated with changes in neurosteroid levels.

神经类固醇是具有神经活性的脑源性类固醇。它们可以通过非基因组和/或基因组途径起作用。类固醇激素的基因组途径被大量描述：与核受体的结合导致转录调控。到目前为止，孕烯醇酮，脱氢表雄酮，它们各自的硫酸酯和阿洛培那那龙都没有找到相应的核受体，而已经确定了它们的一些非基因组靶标。神经可塑性是神经网络响应生物和/或环境信号而必须改变其结构和功能的能力；它受多种机制调节，包括涉及神经固醇的机制。

在这篇综述中，在对它们的生物合成进行了描述之后，将展示孕烯醇酮，脱氢表雄酮，它们各自的硫酸酯和Allopregnanolone对它们靶标的作用。然后，我们将强调神经固醇通过作用于这些靶标，可以调节神经发生，结构和功能可塑性。最后，我们将讨论神经甾体在神经系统疾病的病理生理中的治疗潜力，其中神经可塑性的改变与神经甾体水平的变化有关。