Differences in Active Avoidance Conditioning in Male and Female Rats with Experimental Anxiety-Depressive Disorder

Abstract

Using rat model of experimental anxiety-depressive disorder caused by postnatal administration of methionyl-2(S)-cyanopyrrolidine, an inhibitor of dipeptidyl peptidase IV, we compared conditioned active avoidance response and memory retention in males and females. In experimental males and females, conditioning was impaired in comparison with the control. In experimental groups, females were worse learners than males, while in control groups, females were better learners than males. Memory retention in experimental animals did not differ from that in controls 24 h after learning. Two months after learning, control females demonstrated better retention than control males.

Long-Term Social Isolation Reduces Expression of the BDNF Precursor and Prolyl Endopeptidase in the Rat Brain

“…Age related increase in the PREP activity in the FC, hypo thalamus, nucleus accumbens, and striatum (STR) of male rats and in HPC and STR of female rats was demon strated in the model of the mixed anxiety depressive state induced by the dipeptidyl peptidase IV (EC 3.4.14.5) inhibitor in the early postnatal period [36]. These rats demonstrated slower learning in the active avoidance test than the control group animals [37]. The anxiety depres sive state induced by another inhibitor of dipeptidyl pep tidase IV was accompanied by the upregulation of the prep gene expression in the STR [38].…”