Influences of non-canonical neurosteroid signaling on developing neural circuits

•There is growing appreciation for flexible mechanisms to influence development of neural circuits.•Neurosteroids can be modulated by the environment and provisioned specially to neural circuits.•Recent studies demonstrate how neurosteroids influence neurites and synaptic function, key factors in circuit organization.•The diversity of neurosteroids suggests high potential for nuanced modulation of many developmental processes.

Developing neural circuits are especially susceptible to environmental perturbation. Endocrine signaling systems such as steroids provide a mechanism to encode physiological changes and integrate function across various biological systems including the brain. 'Neurosteroids' are synthesized and act within the brain across development. There is a long history of steroids sculpting developing neural circuits; more recently, evidence has demonstrated how neurosteroids influence the early potential for neural circuits to organize and transmit precise information via non-canonical receptor types.