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Published on: October 28, 2015
Signaling mechanisms mediating the regulation of synaptic plasticity and memory by estradiol
Maria-Angeles Arevalo1, Iñigo Azcoitia2, Ignacio Gonzalez-Burgos3
1Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Avenida Doctor Arce 37, E-28002 Madrid, Spain.
Abstract:
This article is part of a Special Issue "Estradiol and Cognition". Estradiol participates in the regulation of the function and plasticity of synaptic circuits in key cognitive brain regions, such as the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus. The mechanisms elicited by estradiol are mediated by the regulation of transcriptional activity by nuclear estrogen receptors and by intracellular signaling cascades activated by estrogen receptors associated with the plasma membrane. In addition, the mechanisms include the interaction of estradiol with the signaling of other factors involved in the regulation of cognition, such as brain derived neurotrophic factor, insulin-like growth factor-1 and Wnt. Modifications in these signaling pathways by aging or by a long-lasting ovarian hormone deprivation after menopause may impair the enhancing effects of estradiol on synaptic plasticity and cognition.
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