Sex differences in spatial and non-spatial Y-maze performance after chronic stress

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Behavioral Neuroscience
• Stress Research

Background:

• Chronic stress impacts brain structure and function, particularly the hippocampus.
• Previous studies show chronic restraint alters hippocampal CA3 dendritic morphology and spatial memory in male rats.
• Females exhibit distinct anatomical adaptations to chronic stress compared to males.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate sex differences in spatial memory impairments following chronic stress.
• To determine if female rats show similar spatial memory deficits as males under chronic restraint conditions.
• To explore the recovery patterns of spatial memory in stressed female rats.

Main Methods:

• Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent chronic restraint stress (6 h/day for 21 days).
• Spatial memory was assessed using the Y-maze habituation task the day after the final restraint session.
• Locomotion was measured by total arm entries in the Y-maze.

Main Results:

• Chronic stress impaired Y-maze performance in both male and female rats.
• Locomotion levels, measured by total arm entries, were not significantly affected by stress in the first minute.
• Stressed female rats showed improved Y-maze performance within 2-5 minutes, unlike chronically stressed males who continued to perform poorly.

Conclusions:

• Chronic stress induces spatial memory deficits in both sexes, but with notable sex differences in recovery.
• Female rats demonstrate a faster recovery from stress-induced spatial memory impairments compared to male rats.
• These findings highlight sex-specific responses to chronic stress in the hippocampus and spatial memory functions.