Acute 17β-Estradiol Administration Enhances Fear Extinction Memory and Alters Gut Microbiota in Female Rats.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Previous studies have shown that fear extinction memory and the gut microbiome are impacted by ovarian hormones. Elevated 17β-estradiol (E2) levels during fear extinction learning have been shown to enhance fear extinction recall 24 hours later. In this study, we concurrently examined the long-term maintenance of this facilitation and the role of the gut microbiome as a potential mediator.

Methods

Naturally cycling adult female Sprague Dawley rats underwent an auditory-cued fear conditioning/extinction paradigm, during which the estrous cycle was tracked and fecal samples were collected. Habituation and conditioning took place when the rats were in estrus on day 1. On day 2, rats were administered either a sesame oil vehicle (n = 24) or E2 (15 μg/kg) (n<

SUBMITTER: Hartsgrove CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12664449 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature