Ignacio Marin-Blasco, Giorgia Vanzo, Joaquin Rusco-Portabella, Lucas Perez-Molina, Leire Romero, Antonio Florido, Raul Andero
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
In recent years, research has progressively increased the importance of considering sex differences in stress and fear memory studies. Many studies have traditionally focused on male subjects, potentially overlooking critical differences with females. Emerging evidence suggests that males and females can exhibit distinct behavioral and neurophysiological responses to stress and fear conditioning. These differences may be attributable to variations in hormone levels, brain structure, and neural circuitry, particularly in regions such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC). In the present study, we explored sex differences in prelimbic cortex (PL) calcium activity in animals submitted to immobilization stress (IMO), fear conditioning (FC), and fear extinction (FE). While no significant sex differences were found in behavioral responses, we did observe differences in several PL calcium activity parameters. To determine whether these results were related to behaviors beyond stress and fear memory, we conducted correlation studies between the movement of the animals and PL activity during IMO and freezing behavior during FC and FE. Our findings revealed a clear correlation between PL calcium activity with movement during stress exposure and freezing behavior, with no sex differences observed in these correlations. These results suggest a significant role for the PL in movement and locomotion, in addition to its involvement in fear-related processes. The inclusion of both female and male subjects is crucial for studies like this to fully understand the role of the PFC and other brain areas in stress and fear responses. Recognizing sex differences enhances our comprehension of brain function and can lead to more personalized and effective approaches in the study and treatment of stress and fear-related conditions.
近年来,研究逐渐增加了在压力和恐惧记忆研究中考虑性别差异的重要性。传统上,许多研究都以男性受试者为研究对象,可能忽略了与女性的关键差异。新的证据表明,男性和女性对压力和恐惧条件反射会表现出不同的行为和神经生理反应。这些差异可能归因于激素水平、大脑结构和神经回路的变化,尤其是前额叶皮层(PFC)等区域的变化。在本研究中,我们探讨了动物在接受固定应激(IMO)、恐惧条件反射(FC)和恐惧消退(FE)后边缘前皮层(PL)钙活动的性别差异。虽然在行为反应方面没有发现明显的性别差异,但我们确实观察到了几种前边缘皮层钙活动参数的差异。为了确定这些结果是否与应激和恐惧记忆以外的行为有关,我们对 IMO 期间动物的运动和 PL 活性以及 FC 和 FE 期间的冻结行为进行了相关性研究。我们的研究结果表明,PL钙活性与应激暴露时的运动和冻结行为之间存在明显的相关性,而且在这些相关性中没有观察到性别差异。这些结果表明,除了参与恐惧相关过程外,钙离子在运动和运动中也扮演着重要角色。要想充分了解前脑功能区和其他脑区在压力和恐惧反应中的作用,同时纳入女性和男性受试者对于此类研究至关重要。认识到性别差异会增强我们对大脑功能的理解,并能在研究和治疗压力和恐惧相关疾病时采用更加个性化和有效的方法。
期刊介绍:
Biology of Sex Differences is a unique scientific journal focusing on sex differences in physiology, behavior, and disease from molecular to phenotypic levels, incorporating both basic and clinical research. The journal aims to enhance understanding of basic principles and facilitate the development of therapeutic and diagnostic tools specific to sex differences. As an open-access journal, it is the official publication of the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences and co-published by the Society for Women's Health Research.
Topical areas include, but are not limited to sex differences in: genomics; the microbiome; epigenetics; molecular and cell biology; tissue biology; physiology; interaction of tissue systems, in any system including adipose, behavioral, cardiovascular, immune, muscular, neural, renal, and skeletal; clinical studies bearing on sex differences in disease or response to therapy.