Estrogen Modulation of Learning Strategy: A Neural Systems Approach

学习策略的雌激素调节：神经系统方法

• 批准号: 0081061
• 负责人: Donna Korol
• 金额: $ 22.6万
• 依托单位: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2000-08-15 至 2004-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0081061&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Estrogen; Modulation; Learning; Strategy; Neural

The goal of this project is to identify the brain areas through which estrogen acts to modulate learning and memory. The underlying hypothesis is that the effects of estrogen on learning and memory are specific to types of learning, and associated brain areas, used to solve different mazes. Two mazes that tap two different types of learning strategies, place learning and response learning, will be used to determine whether estrogen acts directly at specific discrete brain sites, the hippocampus and dorsal striatum, respectively, important for good performance in these tasks. Two experiments examine the role of estrogen on learning in rats that have had their ovaries removed, thus removing the intrinsic source of estrogen. In the first experiment, rats will receive estrogen directly into either the hippocampus or the striatum and will then be tested for place and response learning. In the second experiment, rats will receive injections of estrogen into the circulation after an estrogen blocker is administered directly into the hippocampus or the striatum, and the rats will then be tested for place and response learning. Some prior reports suggest that estrogen impairs learning and memory, while other reports indicate that estrogen improves learning and memory. The approach taken in this proposal may clarify the basis for these conflicting reports by showing that both conclusions are correct. Estrogen might activate or inhibit different brain areas, thereby changing the learning strategy used and thus what and not necessarily how much is learned under different hormone conditions. The basic finding that estrogen's effects on learning strategy are governed by different neural systems will prove useful for understanding the neural and cognitive processes that accompany the decline in hormones with menopause.

这个项目的目标是确定雌激素调节学习和记忆的大脑区域。潜在的假设是，雌激素对学习和记忆的影响是特定于学习类型的，以及用于解决不同迷宫的相关大脑区域。两个迷宫涉及两种不同类型的学习策略，地点学习和反应学习，将被用来确定雌激素是否直接作用于特定的离散的大脑部位，海马和背纹状体，分别对这些任务的良好表现很重要。两个实验检验了雌性激素对老鼠学习能力的作用，这些老鼠的卵巢被切除了，因此雌性激素的内在来源被切除了。在第一个实验中，大鼠将接受雌激素直接进入海马或纹状体，然后测试其位置和反应学习能力。在第二个实验中，将雌激素阻滞剂直接注射到大鼠的海马体或纹状体中，然后将大鼠注射到循环系统中，然后测试大鼠的位置和反应学习能力。一些先前的报道表明雌激素会损害学习和记忆，而其他报道则表明雌激素能改善学习和记忆。这项建议所采取的办法可以澄清这些相互矛盾的报告的根据，表明这两个结论都是正确的。雌激素可能会激活或抑制不同的大脑区域，从而改变所使用的学习策略，从而改变在不同激素条件下学习的内容，而不一定是学习多少。雌激素对学习策略的影响是由不同的神经系统控制的，这一基本发现将有助于理解伴随更年期激素下降的神经和认知过程。