Sex differences in corticotropin releasing factor regulation of medial septum-mediated memory formation

Publication date: Available online 20 February 2019Source: Neurobiology of StressAuthor(s): Kimberly Wiersielis, Attilio Ceretti, Arron Hall, Sydney Famularo, Madeleine Salvatore, Alexandra S. Ellis, Harah Jang, Mathieu E. Wimmer, Debra BangasserAbstractStress can disrupt memory and contribute to cognitive impairments in psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. These diseases are more common in men than in women, with men showing greater cognitive impairments. Mnemonic deficits induced by stress are mediated, in part, by corticotropin releasing factor (CRF). However, where CRF is acting to regulate memory, and sex differences therein, is understudied. Here we assessed whether CRF in the medial septum (MS), which projects to the hippocampus, affected memory formation in male and female rats. CRF in the MS did not alter hippocampal-independent object recognition memory, but impaired hippocampal-dependent object location memory in both sexes. Interestingly, males were more sensitive than females to the disruptive effect of a low dose of CRF in the MS. Female resistance was not due to circulating ovarian hormones. However, compared to males, females have higher MS expression of CRF binding protein, which reduces CRF bioavailability and thus may mitigate the effect of the low dose of CRF in females. In contrast, there was no sex difference in CRF1 expression in the MS. Consistent with this finding, CRF1 antagonism blocked the mem...
Source: Neurobiology of Stress - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research