Neuroactive steroids and metabolic axis

Neuroactive steroids (i.e., steroids synthesised both in peripheral glands and in nervous system) are important physiological regulators of the nervous functions. In particular, they are involved in the control of many physiological aspects of reproduction, stress response, and metabolism, as well as in several pathologies including depression, obesity, feeding and reproduction disorders. Due to the large diffusion of metabolic diseases the study of the interaction between metabolic axis and nervous function represents a really hot topic in biomedical research. For this reason, we have collected in this special issue some reviews exploring the relationships among neuroactive steroids and the metabolic axis that originated from the lectures presented at a satellite symposium of the 9th International meeting “Steroids and Nervous System” (February 2017, Torino, Italy).