Testosterone and behavior: Involvement of the hormone in psychotropic effects of baclofen

Abstract

We studied the effect of baclofen (GABA(B) receptor agonist) on the behavior of male mice with different levels of anxiety in tests for social and sexual contact and on blood testosterone levels. The drug reduced testosterone level and behavioral reaction to an unknown male in intact animals and did not modulate the hormone level and social contacts in anxious mice. In the test with receptive female, baclofen reduced testosterone level and sexual motivation in intact males and did not modulate the hormone level and initial sexual interest in anxious mice. Parallelism in the development of behavioral and endocrine components of the reaction to social and sexual stimuli confirms possible involvement of testosterone in psychotropic effects of baclofen.

Low-dose baclofen therapy raised plasma insulin-like growth factor-1 concentrations, but not into the normal range in a predictable and sustained manner in men with chronic spinal cord injury

“…>250 ng/ml) after initiating treatment with baclofen. Although it has been reported in an animal model that baclofen reduced T concentrations, 30 there was not a statistically significant decrease observed in serum total or free T levels by baclofen administration in our study. To the contrary, the mean observations for each group for testosterone appeared to increase from baseline across visits, with the exception of week 8.…”

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate enhances mood and prosocial behavior without affecting plasma oxytocin and testosterone

“…However, as oxytocin plasma levels do not fully reflect central oxytocin release (Neumann, 2007), and GHB was shown to up-regulate hypothalamic oxytocin mRNA in rats (van Nieuwenhuijzen et al, 2010), at least centrally restricted involvement of oxytocin regarding the prosocial effects of GHB cannot be ruled out. Four reasons led to our hypothesis that the androgen system might be involved in the prosocial effects of GHB: the drug seems to enhance sexually connoted affiliative behavior, alters levels of several steroid hormones, GABA-B receptors are discussed in the regulation of testosterone secretion (Amikishieva, 2007), and testosterone is a sex steroid hormone that might be a mediator of prosocial effects (Eisenegger et al, 2010). However, we did not observe any alterations of testosterone (and DHEA) levels in our subjects and hence conclude that GHB-related prosocial effects do not operate via the androgen system.…”

“…GHB is known to affect levels of several steroidal hormones such as neurosteroids and cortisol in animals and humans (Bosch et al, 2012), and GABA-B receptors are discussed in the regulation of testosterone secretion (Amikishieva, 2007). Testosterone is a sex steroid hormone which is known to play an important role in human social interaction (Eisenegger et al, 2010;Bos et al, 2012).…”

A novel quantitative assay of mitophagy: Combining high content fluorescence microscopy and mitochondrial DNA load to quantify mitophagy and identify novel pharmacological tools against pathogenic heteroplasmic mtDNA

“…Additionally to the MDMA-like entactogenic effects, GHB was reported to enhance sexually connoted affiliative behavior (Lee and Levounis, 2008), indicating an involvement of more neuroendocrine mechanisms than the oxytoninergic pathway.GHB is known to affect levels of several steroidal hormones such as neurosteroids and cortisol in animals and humans (Bosch et al, 2012), and GABA-B receptors are discussed in the regulation of testosterone secretion (Amikishieva, 2007). Testosterone is a sex steroid hormone which is known to play an important role in human social interaction (Eisenegger et al, 2010;Bos et al, 2012).…”