The influence of gender and the estrous cycle on learned helplessness in the rat

Jenkins, J.A.; Williams, Phillip E.; Kramer, Gerald L.; Davis, Lori L.; Petty, Frederick

doi:10.1016/s0301-0511(01)00111-9

Cited by 65 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Crispino et al 37 described a modulation of Syt1 mRNA levels in area CA3 of the hippocampus during the estrous cycle with highest levels occurring during diestrus, while Jenkins et al 38 showed that rats in diestrus were more vulnerable to develop LH, thus supporting our observations that lowered levels of Syt1 are accompanied by increased stress resilience.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Gene expression profiling in the hippocampus of learned helpless and nonhelpless rats

et al. 2005

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In the learned helplessness (LH) animal model of depression, failure to attempt escape from avoidable environmental stress, LH, indicates behavioral despair, whereas nonhelpless (NH) behavior reflects behavioral resilience to the effects of environmental stress. Comparing hippocampal gene expression with large-scale oligonucleotide microarrays, we found that stress-resilient (NH) rats, although behaviorally indistinguishable from controls, showed a distinct gene expression profile compared to LH, sham stressed, and naïve control animals. Genes that were confirmed as differentially expressed in the NH group by quantitative PCR strongly correlated in their levels of expression across all four animal groups. Differential expression could not be confirmed at the protein level. We identified several shared degenerate sequence motifs in the 3 0 untranslated region (3 0 UTR) of differentially expressed genes that could be a factor in this tight correlation of expression levels among differentially expressed genes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Gene expression profiling in the hippocampus of learned helpless and nonhelpless rats

et al. 2005

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“…96,97 In addition, learned helplessness, in which exposure to inescapable stress produces deficits in escape, has been proposed as an animal model of stress-induced behavioral depression. 98 To better characterize these models, a variety of pharmacological treatments has been tested. The reliability of these animal models is based on both behavioral tests measuring traits that are homologous to symptoms of the human disorder and behavioral tests responsive to appropriate pharmacologic treatments.…”

Section: Bdnf and Animal Models Of Depressionmentioning

confidence: 99%

BDNF in schizophrenia, depression and corresponding animal models

2005

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Understanding the etiology and pathogenesis schizophrenia and depression is a major challenge facing psychiatry. One hypothesis is that these disorders are secondary to a malfunction of neurotrophic factors. Inappropriate neurotrophic support during brain development could lead to structural disorganisation in which neuronal networks are established in a nonoptimal manner. Inadequate neurotrophic support in adult individuals could ultimately be an underlying mechanism leading to decreased capacity of brain to adaptive changes and increased vulnerability to neurotoxic damage. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a mediator involved in neuronal survival and plasticity of dopaminergic, cholinergic, and serotonergic neurons in the central nervous system (CNS). In this review, we summarize findings regarding altered BDNF in schizophrenia and depression and animal models, as well as the effects of antipsychotic and antidepressive treatments on the expression of BDNF. Molecular Psychiatry (2005) 10, 345-352.

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“…Similarly, estrogen and progesterone can influence conditioned avoidance behavior in females (Diaz-Veliz et al, 1989;Sfikakis et al, 1978), but apparently not the expression of helplessness after exposure to uncontrollable stress. With respect to the cycle, Jenkins et al (2001) reported that females in diestrus 2 were more helpless than females in estrus. They took longer to escape during training on the FR1 and FR2 tasks when compared to females that were not stressed (Jenkins et al, 2001).…”

Section: Sex Differences In Helplessnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With respect to the cycle, Jenkins et al (2001) reported that females in diestrus 2 were more helpless than females in estrus. They took longer to escape during training on the FR1 and FR2 tasks when compared to females that were not stressed (Jenkins et al, 2001). However, other investigators have reported no change in similar behaviors across the estrous cycle (Setnik et al, 2004).…”

Section: Sex Differences In Helplessnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Females do not Express Learned Helplessness like Males do

Dalla

Edgecomb

Whetstone

et al. 2007

Neuropsychopharmacol

149

101

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Women are more likely than men to suffer from stress-related mental disorders, such as depression. In the present experiments, we identified sex differences in one of the most common animal models of depression, that of learned helplessness. Male and female rats were trained to escape a mild footshock each day for 7 days (controllable stress). Each rat was yoked to another rat that could not escape (uncontrollable stress), but was exposed to the same amount of shock. One day later, all stressed rats and unstressed controls were tested on a more difficult escape task in a different context. Most males exposed to uncontrollable stress did not learn to escape and were therefore helpless. In contrast, most females did learn to escape on the more difficult escape task, irrespective of whether they had been exposed to controllable or uncontrollable stress. The sex differences in helplessness behavior were not dependent on the presence of sex hormones in adulthood, because neither ovariectomy of females nor castration of males abolished them. The absence of helplessness in females was neither dependent on organizational effects of testosterone during the day of birth, because masculinized females did not express helplessness as adults. Thus, sex differences in helplessness behavior are independent of gonadal hormones in adulthood and testosterone exposure during perinatal development. Learned helplessness may not constitute a valid model for depressive behavior in women, at least as reflected by the response of female rats to operant conditioning procedures after stressful experience.

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The influence of gender and the estrous cycle on learned helplessness in the rat

Cited by 65 publications

References 59 publications

Gene expression profiling in the hippocampus of learned helpless and nonhelpless rats

Gene expression profiling in the hippocampus of learned helpless and nonhelpless rats

BDNF in schizophrenia, depression and corresponding animal models

Females do not Express Learned Helplessness like Males do

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