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Cited by 290Stress Responses and CortisolMemory and Neural MechanismsNeuroendocrine regulation and behavior

Chronic stress effects on memory: sex differences in performance and monoaminergic activity

Bowman, Rachel E, Beck, Kevin D, Luine, Victoria N·2003·Hormones and Behavior
DOI 10.1016/s0018-506x(02)00022-3
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Abstract

Increasing evidence suggests that the time course of advantageous versus deleterious effects of stress on physiologic function is also apparent in some brain functions, including learning and memory. This article reviews the effects of chronic stress on behavioral performance and, more importantly, shows that sex of the subject, as well as duration and intensity of stress, is an important determinant of the functional/behavioral, neurochemical, and anatomical consequences of the stress. Following chronic stress (7-28 days of restraint, 6 h/day), male and female rats were tested on a visual memory task (object recognition) and two spatial memory tasks (object placement and radial arm maze). At 21 days, stress impaired males on all tasks while females were either enhanced (spatial memory tasks) or not impaired (nonspatial memory tasks). Additionally, the influence of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis in mediating the sex-specific responses to stress is considered. Behavioral and neurochemical assessments following chronic stress in ovariectomized females, with and without estradiol, suggest that estrogen exerts both organizational and activational influences on the observed sex differences in response to stress. Furthermore, stress differentially affected central transmitter levels in the frontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala depending on sex. The possible role of these sex-specific changes in neurotransmitter levels in mediating behavioral differences in response to stress is discussed. While these results are thus far limited to a few studies and require both further investigation and verification, chronic stress appears to be associated with distinct, sex-differentiated behavioral/cognitive and neurochemical responses. We conclude that sex differences must be taken into account when investigating or describing stress and associated sequalae.

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  • Stress enhances performance of female rodents on the radial arm maze, Morris water maze, Y-maze, non-associative learning, and object placement tasks, whereas stress impairs male performance in these assays.

    “Stress enhances the performance of female rodents on the radial arm maze, Morris water maze, Y–maze, non–associative learning, and object placement tasks, whereas stress impairs male performance in these assays86–88.”

    From Neurobiology of resilience (2012) · cites this paper as [88]

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Authors
Bowman, R. E., Beck, K. D., & Luine, V. N.
Affiliations
  • The Graduate Center, CUNY (US)
  • VA New Jersey Health Care System (US)
Corresponding author
Bowman, Rachel E
ORCID
Venue
Hormones and Behavior
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2003-01
Volume
43
Issue
1
Pages
48-59
ISSN
0018-506X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s0018-506x(02)00022-3
OpenAlex
W2037749209
Cited by
290
References
84
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 13
FWCI
5.95
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Hormones and Behavior (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Rutgers University Community Repository (Rutgers University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
Keywords
chronic stress, sex differences, memory, spatial memory, object recognition memory, object placement, radial maze, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, estrogen, ovariectomy, estradiol, monoamines, frontal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, restraint stress, rats
MeSH terms
Animals, Chronic Disease, Female, Male, Memory, Neurosecretory Systems, Sex Characteristics, Stress, Physiological, Biogenic Monoamines

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