Impact of estrogen receptor alpha and beta agonists on delayed alternation in middle-aged rats
Estrogens act in the adult brain to modulate cognition, enhancing performance on some learning tests and impairing performance on others. Our previous research has revealed an impairing effect of chronic 17[beta]-estradiol treatment in young and aged rats on a prefrontally-mediated working memory task, delayed spatial alternation (DSA). Little is known about the mechanisms of these […]
Chronic estradiol replacement impairs performance on an operant delayed spatial alternation task in young, middle-aged, and old rats
The current study examined effects of chronic estradiol replacement on a prefrontally-mediated working memory task at different ages in a rodent model. Ovariectomized young, middle-aged, and old Long-Evans rats were given 5% or 10% 17[beta]-estradiol in cholesterol vehicle via Silastic implants and tested on an operant delayed spatial alternation task (DSA). The two estradiol exposed […]
Voluntary exercise impairs initial delayed spatial alternation performance in estradiol treated ovariectomized middle-aged rats
Estrogens differentially modulate behavior in the adult female rodent. Voluntary exercise can also impact behavior, often reversing age associated decrements in memory processes. Our research group has published a series of papers reporting a deficit in the acquisition of an operant working memory task, delayed spatial alternation (DSA), following 17β-estradiol treatment to middle-aged ovariectomized (OVX) […]