Our earlier biochemical studies suggested that the neurosteroid pregnenolone sulfate (PS) may reduce gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) action at the Cl- channel associated with GABAA receptors.
In the present electrophysiological study the interaction of PS with the GABAA receptor was tested, using whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings from isolated cerebral cortical neurons of neonatal rats.
At micromolar concentrations PS reversibly inhibited GABA-induced current, behaving as an allosteric receptor antagonist.
![](https://pregnenolonfacts.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Abb10-GABA-Rezeptor-v3_EN.jpg)