Faculty Collaboration Database

Spatial reference memory and neocortical neurochemistry vary with the estrous cycle in C57BL/6 mice. Behav Neurosci 2001 Feb;115(1):229-37

Date

03/21/2001

Pubmed ID

11256446

DOI

10.1037/0735-7044.115.1.229

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0035127788 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   114 Citations

Abstract

Estrous cycle-related variations of spatial reference memory and neurochemistry in intact female mice were examined. Spatial reference memory was tested in cycling females, ovariectomized (OVX) females, and males by using a 1-day water maze protocol. Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) activities were measured in the hippocampus and neocortex. Estrus females exhibited worse spatial acquisition and 30-min retention than did proestrus and metestrus females, higher neocortical ChAT activity than proestrus females, and higher neocortical GAD activity than OVX females and males. Neocortical, rather than hippocampal, neurochemistry was more sensitive to hormonal modulation, suggesting that hormonal mediation of neocortical function may play a critical role in regulating spatial reference memory in female mice.

Author List

Frick KM, Berger-Sweeney J

Author

Karyn Frick BA,MA,PhD Professor in the Psychology department at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Animals
Behavior, Animal
Cerebral Cortex
Estrus
Female
Gonadal Steroid Hormones
Male
Maze Learning
Memory
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Ovariectomy
Spatial Behavior