Finasteride Treatment Inhibits Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Male Mice.

Pharmacopsychiatry. 2010 May 18.

Finasteride Treatment Inhibits Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Male Mice.
Römer B, Pfeiffer N, Lewicka S, Ben-Abdallah N, Vogt MA, Deuschle M, Vollmayr B, Gass P.

RG Behavioural Biology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany.

Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor finasteride is used for the treatment of androgenic alopecia, benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate cancer. Besides inhibiting the conversion of testosterone to the biologically more active 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone, it also inhibits the production of neurosteroids. Decreased neurosteroid levels are postulated to be involved in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders such as depression. As neurosteroids metabolized by 5-alpha-reductase influence neural plasticity, we investigated whether finasteride treatment alters adult hippocampal neurogenesis, implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. METHODS: Male C57BL/6N mice were treated subchronically (7 days) with finasteride or vehicle. Adult neurogenesis was assessed at two different time points after treatment (day 1; day 35) using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Finasteride treatment led to a significant decrease in brain 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone levels and induced a reversible reduction in the number of newborn cells and young neurons in the hippocampus. 35 days after the last finasteride injection, neurogenesis had returned to normal. DISCUSSION: These data indicate that inhibition of 5-alpha-reductase activity by finasteride treatment influences neuronal plasticity on a structural level. These changes might contribute to the pathophysiology of depressive episodes observed after finasteride treatment. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

scary stuff

beyond scary

hippocampus => Papez Circuit => memory

Yes, that's why I say this is so scary. I started Fin young and was on for 12 years. My memory and attention span have significantly worsened over the last 3-5 years. I never suspected Fin until I started getting brain fog as well. I am now off the drug and (hopefully) starting a long recovery process. I've talked to a few friends who are also long-term users (10+ years - there are not many of us) and each of them also has had pretty significant memory issues in the last few years - none of them even considered that Fin was playing a role because it's not an "official" side effect (and one is a doctor).