The estrous cycle modulates early-life adversity effects on mouse avoidance behavior through progesterone signaling.

ABSTRACT: Early-life adversity (ELA) increases the likelihood of neuropsychiatric diagnoses, which are more prevalent in women than men. Since changes in reproductive hormone levels can also increase the probability of anxiety disorders in women, we examined the effects of ELA on adult female mice across the estrous cycle. We found that during diestrus, when progesterone levels are relatively high, ELA mice exhibit increased avoidance behavior and increased theta oscillation power in the ventral hippocampus (vHIP). We also found that diestrus ELA mice had higher levels of progesterone and lower levels of allopregnanolone, a neurosteroid metabolite of progesterone, in the vHIP compared with control-reared mice. Progesterone receptor antagonism normalized avoidance behavior in ELA mice, while treatmen

SUBMITTER: Laham BJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9729614 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature