Two metabolites of the steroid hormones progesterone and deoxycorticosterone, 3α-hydroxy-5α-dihydroprogesterone and 3α,5α-tetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone, are potent barbiturate-like ligands of the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor-chloride ion channel complex. At concentrations between 10 -7 and…