Stress and Sex Effects on Learning and Dendritic Spines

压力和性别对学习和树突棘的影响

• 批准号: 6627737
• 负责人: BENEDETTA J LEUNER
• 金额: $ 2.98万
• 依托单位: RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIV OF N.J.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-07-01 至
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6627737
• 关键词: association learning; dendrites; estrogens; gender difference; glucocorticoids; hippocampus; histochemistry /cytochemistry; hormone regulation /control mechanism; laboratory rat; neuropsychology; predoctoral investigator; radioimmunoassay; stress

Numerous experiments in our laboratory have shown that exposure to an acute stressful experience facilitates associative learning in male rats and dramatically impairs learning in female rats. We have also found sex differences and opposing effects of stress on dendritic spine density in the hippocampus of males versus females. In males, spine density is enhanced after exposure to an acute stressor, while the density of dendritic spines in females is reduced. Based on this series of observations, we have proposed that the stress effects on learning are mediated by the stress effects on spine density. To address this hypothesis, I will test whether the opposite effects of stress on earning in males versus females. In males, the stress-induced facilitation of learning is dependent on the stress-related adrenal hormones, glucocorticoids. The stress-induced impairment of learning in females is not dependent on the stress-related glucocorticoids, but is dependent on the ovarian hormone estrogen. Thus, the goal of my proposal is to determine whether glucocorticoids in males and estrogen in females contribute to the sexually opposed stress on dendritic spine density.

我们实验室的大量实验表明，暴露于急性压力经历会促进雄性大鼠的联想学习，并显着损害雌性大鼠的学习。 我们还发现性别差异以及压力对男性和女性海马树突棘密度的相反影响。 在雄性中，暴露于急性应激源后树突棘密度增加，而雌性树突棘密度降低。 基于这一系列的观察，我们提出压力对学习的影响是通过压力对脊柱密度的影响来调节的。 为了验证这一假设，我将测试压力对男性收入的影响是否与女性相反。 在男性中，压力引起的学习促进依赖于与压力相关的肾上腺激素、糖皮质激素。女性压力引起的学习障碍并不依赖于与压力相关的糖皮质激素，而是依赖于卵巢激素雌激素。 因此，我建议的目标是确定男性的糖皮质激素和女性的雌激素是否会导致树突棘密度的性对抗压力。