Socially Housed Female Macaques: a Translational Model for the Interaction of Chronic Stress and Estrogen in Aging

We present evidence that aging socially subordinate female macaques that experience chronic psychosocial stress constitute a suitable model to investigate this. First, we review studies showing that estrogen modulates cognition in animal models, as well as studies demonstrating that estrogen ’s action on certain types of cognition is impaired by stress. Next, we discuss data showing that middle-aged socially subordinate female macaques exhibit distinct stress-induced phenotypes, and review our investigations indicating that estrogen modulates behavior and physiology differently in sub ordinate female monkeys.SummaryWe conclude that socially housed female macaques represent a translational animal model for investigating the interplay of chronic stress and estrogen on cognitive aging in women.

Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - September 14, 2017 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research