Maternal stress programs a demasculinization of glutamatergic transmission in stress-related brain regions of aged rats.

ABSTRACT: Brain aging may be programmed by early-life stress. Aging affects males and females differently, but how perinatal stress (PRS) affects brain aging between sexes is unknown. We showed behavioral and neurobiological sex differences in non-stressed control rats that were strongly reduced or inverted in PRS rats. In particular, PRS decreased risk-taking behavior, spatial memory, exploratory behavior, and fine motor behavior in male aged rats. In contrast, female aged PRS rats displayed only increased risk-taking behavior and reduced exploratory behavior. PRS induced large reductions in the expression of glutamate receptors in the ventral and dorsal hippocampus and prefrontal cortex only in male rats. PRS also reduced the expression of synaptic vesicle-associated proteins, glucocorticoid recep

SUBMITTER: Verhaeghe R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8116647 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature