Mechanism of Progesterone Action in the Brain

Progesterone is a pleiotropic hormone that regulates a wide range of physiological and pathological processes in the central nervous system. The actions of progesterone are mediated by classical and nonclassical mechanisms, and many of them depend on its intracellular receptor (PR). PR expresses two main isoforms (PR-B and PR-A), whose actions are driven by the participation of specific coregulators, posttranslational modifications, and epigenetic mechanisms among other events, that in turn are influenced by the cellular context and developmental stage. In the present chapter, we address in depth about the regulation and molecular actions of PR in the brain.