Open AccessSex Differences in Long-Term Potentiation at Temporoammonic-CA1 Synapses: Potential Implications for Memory Consolidation
Author(s) -
Xiaoqiang Qi,
Ke Zhang,
Ting Xu,
Vítor Nagai Yamaki,
Zhisheng Wei,
Mingfa Huang,
Gregory M. Rose,
Xiang Cai
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0165891
Subject(s) - long term potentiation , hippocampal formation , ampa receptor , memory consolidation , nmda receptor , neuroscience , morris water navigation task , hippocampus , long term depression , biology , glutamate receptor , medicine , receptor , endocrinology , psychology
Sex differences in spatial memory have long been observed in humans, non-human primates and rodents, but the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for these differences remain obscure. In the present study we found that adolescent male rats outperformed female rats in 7 d and 28 d retention probes, but not in learning trials and immediate probes, in the Morris water maze task. Male rats also had larger long-term potentiation (LTP) at hippocampal temproammonic-CA1 (TA-CA1) synapses, which have been implicated to play a key role in place field and memory consolidation, when protocols designed to elicit late-stage LTP (LLTP) were used. Interestingly, the ratio of evoked AMPA/NMDA currents was found to be smaller at TA-CA1 synapses in male rats compared to female rats. Protein biotinylation experiments showed that male rats expressed more surface GluN1 receptors in hippocampal CA1 stratum lacunosum-moleculare (SLM) than female rats, although GluA1 expression was also slightly higher in male rats. Taken together, our results suggest that differences in the expression of AMPA and NMDA receptors may affect LTP expression at TA-CA1 synapses in adolescent male and female rats, and thus possibly contribute to the observed sex difference in spatial memory.