Transient Impairment in Microglial Function Causes Sex-Specific Deficits in Synaptic and Hippocampal Function in Mice Exposed to Early Adversity.

ABSTRACT: Abnormal development and function of the hippocampus are two of the most consistent findings in humans and rodents exposed to early life adversity, with males often being more affected than females. Using the limited bedding (LB) paradigm as a rodent model of early life adversity, we found that male adolescent mice that had been exposed to LB exhibit significant deficits in contextual fear conditioning and synaptic connectivity in the hippocampus, which are not observed in females. This is linked to altered developmental refinement of connectivity, with LB severely impairing microglial-mediated synaptic pruning in the hippocampus of male and female pups on postnatal day 17 (P17), but not in adolescent P33 mice when levels of synaptic engulfment by microglia are substantially lower. Since t

SUBMITTER: Ahmed S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10888912 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature