Donald G. Stein

Beyond their classical reproductive roles, steroids exert profound effects on the nervous system (1–3). In particular, progesterone, allopregnanolone, and synthetic progestins have emerged as key players in modulating neuroprotection, synaptic plasticity, mood, stress, cognition and CNS repair (4–7). Extensive preclinical research demonstrated their therapeutic potential, but translating preclinical findings into clinical practice has been elusive.

Introduction Stroke is the second most common cause of death (Wang et al., 2017) and the third most common cause of disability (Murray et al., 2012) worldwide. The primary causes of stroke are hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, sedentary lifestyle, psychosocial stress, and depression (O'Donnell et al., 2010).

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