Sex differences in object-in-place memory of adult rats.

Cost, Katherine Tombeau; Williams-Yee, Zari N.; Fustok, Judy; Dohanich, Gary P.

doi:10.1037/a0028363

Cited by 38 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…For example, our laboratory reported that male mice outperform female mice in two different OR tasks and an OP task [140]. However, others report a female advantage in OR under conditions of high E 2 and P levels [234] or high object similarity [235]. As such, more research on sex differences in these tasks would help establish the parameters under which sex differences may be observed, and could provide insights into how sex differences contribute to increased susceptibility for developing certain mental illnesses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regulation of object recognition and object placement by ovarian sex steroid hormones

Tuscher

Fortress

Kim

et al. 2015

Behavioural Brain Research

113

102

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The ovarian hormones 17β-estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) are potent modulators of hippocampal memory formation. Both hormones have been demonstrated to enhance hippocampal memory by regulating the cellular and molecular mechanisms thought to underlie memory formation. Behavioral neuroendocrinologists have increasingly used the object recognition and object placement (object location) tasks to investigate the role of E2 and P4 in regulating hippocampal memory formation in rodents. These one-trial learning tasks are ideal for studying acute effects of hormone treatments on different phases of memory because they can be administered during acquisition (pre-training), consolidation (post-training), or retrieval (pre-testing). This review synthesizes the rodent literature testing the effects of E2 and P4 on object recognition (OR) and object placement (OP), and the molecular mechanisms in the hippocampus supporting memory formation in these tasks. Some general trends emerge from the data. Among gonadally intact females, object memory tends to be best when E2 and P4 levels are elevated during the estrous cycle, pregnancy, and in middle age. In ovariectomized females, E2 given before or immediately after testing generally enhances OR and OP in young and middle-aged rats and mice, although effects are mixed in aged rodents. Effects of E2 treatment on OR 7and OP memory consolidation can be mediated by both classical estrogen receptors (ERα and ERβ), and depend on glutamate receptors (NMDA, mGluR1) and activation of numerous cell signaling cascades (e.g., ERK, PI3K/Akt, mTOR) and epigenetic processes (e.g., histone H3 acetylation, DNA methylation). Acute P4 treatment given immediately after training also enhances OR and OP in young and middle-aged ovariectomized females by activating similar cell signaling pathways as E2 (e.g., ERK, mTOR). The few studies that have administered both hormones in combination suggest that treatment can enhance OR and OP, but that effects are highly dependent on factors such as dose and timing of administration. In addition to providing more detail on these general conclusions, this review will discuss directions for future avenues of research into the hormonal regulation of object memory.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regulation of object recognition and object placement by ovarian sex steroid hormones

Tuscher

Fortress

Kim

et al. 2015

Behavioural Brain Research

113

102

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Studies of object-in-place task with combination of object recognition and object location showed that rats were able to discriminate moved from unmoved objects after a brief 5-min delay, regardless of biological sex or hormone status. The ovariectomized female rats treated with estradiol and progesterone discriminated moved from unmoved objects while ovariectomized vehicle-treated females and gonadally intact males did not, suggesting that female rats outperform males only when circulating levels of estrogens and progesterone are elevated [46]. …”

Section: Sex Differences In Cognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex differences in cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease

Singh

2014

Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology

420

286

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Studies have shown differences in specific cognitive ability domains and risk of Alzheimer’s disease between the men and women at later age. However it is important to know that sex differences in cognitive function during adulthood may have their basis in both organizational effects, i.e., occurring as early as during the neuronal development period, as well as in activational effects, where the influence of the sex steroids influence brain function in adulthood. Further, the rate of cognitive decline with aging is also different between the sexes. Understanding the biology of sex differences in cognitive function will not only provide insight into Alzheimer’s disease prevention, but also is integral to the development of personalized, gender-specific medicine. This review draws on epidemiological, translational, clinical, and basic science studies to assess the impact of sex differences in cognitive function from young to old, and examines the effects of sex hormone treatments on Alzheimer’s disease in men and women.

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“…In support, there are sex/gender effects in learning and memory (reviewed in: [94]), with some of the most robust findings across species being differences in spatial performance (which males typically outperform females). Conversely, females seem to have the advantage for object recognition performance, as well as object placement memory, when estradiol and progestogens are high [84], [95], [96], [97], and [98]. Manipulations of allopregnanolone during in utero development (last week of pregnancy), produces impairments in object recognition memory of male and female rats when they are assessed as juveniles coincident with reductions in allopregnanolone in the hippocampus and increased corticosterone among females, but not males, compared to controls [99].…”

Section: What About Males?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Progestogens’ effects and mechanisms for object recognition memory across the lifespan

Walf

Koonce

Frye

2015

Behavioural Brain Research

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This review explores the effects of female reproductive hormones, estrogens and progestogens, with a focus on progesterone and allopregnanolone, on object memory. Progesterone and its metabolites, in particular allopregnanolone, exert various effects on both cognitive and non-mnemonic functions in females. The well-known object recognition task is a valuable experimental paradigm that can be used to determine the effects and mechanisms of progestogens for mnemonic effects across the lifespan, which will be discussed herein. In this task there is little test-decay when different objects are used as targets and baseline valance for objects is controlled. This allows repeated testing, within-subjects designs, and longitudinal assessments, which aid understanding of changes in hormonal milieu. Objects are not aversive or food-based, which are hormone-sensitive factors. This review focuses on published data from our laboratory, and others, using the object recognition task in rodents to assess the role and mechanisms of progestogens throughout the lifespan. Improvements in object recognition performance of rodents are often associated with higher hormone levels in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex during natural cycles, with hormone replacement following ovariectomy in young animals, or with aging. The capacity for reversal of age- and reproductive senescence-related decline in cognitive performance, and changes in neural plasticity that may be dissociated from peripheral effects with such decline, are discussed. The focus here will be on the effects of brain-derived factors, such as the neurosteroid, allopregnanolone, and other hormones, for enhancing object recognition across the lifespan.

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Sex differences in object-in-place memory of adult rats.

Cited by 38 publications

References 53 publications

Regulation of object recognition and object placement by ovarian sex steroid hormones

Regulation of object recognition and object placement by ovarian sex steroid hormones

Sex differences in cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease

Progestogens’ effects and mechanisms for object recognition memory across the lifespan

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