Hormonal interventions with psychopharmacological potential: an overview.

The better understanding of how hormones modulate cognition and behavior is associated with the application of hormones as psychotropic medications. Several natural and synthetic hormones are used as adjuncts to antidepressant medications or as treatments in their own right. We discuss pharmacotherapeutical aspects of estrogen, thyroid hormones, cortisol suppressors, and melatonin as examples of current trends in the field. In addition to the putative roles of these hormones in the treatment of affective disorders, estrogen might also be used as a cognition-enhancer, and both estrogen and thyroid hormones might have roles as mood stabilizers. The psychotropic effects of melatonin have recently received significant attention, but the exact role of that hormone still needs to be clarified.