Anticipation and consumption of food each increase the concentration of neuroactive steroids in rat brain and plasma

Stressful stimuli and anxiogenic drugs increase the plasma and brain concentrations of neuroactive steroids. Moreover, in rats trained to consume their daily meal during a fixed period, the anticipation of food is associated with changes in the function of various neurotransmitter systems. We have now evaluated the effects of anticipation and consumption of food in such trained rats on the plasma and brain concentrations of 3α-hydroxy-5α-pregnan-20-one (3α,5α-TH PROG) and 3α,21-dihydroxy-5α-pregnan-20-one (3α,5α-TH DOC), two potent endogenous positive modulators of type A receptors for γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The abundance of these neuroactive steroids was increased in both the cerebral cortex and plasma of the rats during both food anticipation and consumption. In contrast, the concentration of their precursor, progesterone, was increased in the brain only during food consumption, whereas it was increased in plasma only during food anticipation. Intraperitoneal administration of the selective agonist abecarnil (0.1 mg/kg) 40 min before food presentation prevented the increase in the brain levels of 3α,5α-TH PROG and 3α,5α-TH DOC during food anticipation but not that associated with consumption. The change in emotional state associated with food anticipation may thus result in an increase in the plasma and brain levels of 3α,5α-TH PROG and 3α,5α-TH DOC in a manner sensitive to the activation of GABAA receptor-mediated neurotransmission. A different mechanism, insensitive to activation of such transmission, may underlie the changes in the concentrations of these neuroactive steroids during food consumption.