Effect of Estrogen on Hippocampal Single Unit Activity

海马体在记忆的形成中起着重要的作用。对这一大脑区域的损伤与衰老中发现的记忆障碍有关。老年痴呆症和健忘症它已被证明，雌激素对这个大脑区域的解剖和活动有影响。该项目的主要目的是研究正常循环以及雌激素耗竭动物的放电模式的动态。具体来说，我们将研究（1）缺乏雌激素的影响（2）海马神经元放电模式的变化，其可能发生在大鼠的自然发情周期中，同时执行简单的运动任务;（3）环境线索对自然循环动物海马位置细胞在评估工作记忆能力的更复杂任务中放电模式的影响。本研究的发现将对理解以下问题具有重要意义：（1）记忆形成的过程，（2）雌激素在衰老特别是更年期妇女中的潜在治疗作用。

The hippocampus plays an important role in the formation of memories. Damage to this brain region is related to memory impairment found in aging., Alzheimer's Disease, and amnesia. It has been shown that estrogen has an effect on the anatomy and activity in this brain region. The main objective of the proposed project is to investigate the dynamics of the firing patterns of normally cycling as well as in estrogen depletion animals. Specifically, we will examine (1) the effects of the absence of estrogen (ovariectomized females) and estrogen replacement on the hippocampal representation in a familiar experiment; (2) changes in firing patterns of hippocampal neurons that may occur across the rat's natural estrous cycle, while performing a simple motor tasks; (3) the influence of environmental cues on the firing patterns of hippocampal place cells on a more complex tasks that assesses working memory ability in naturally cycling animals. The findings from the present study will have important implications for understanding: (1) the process in which memories are formed, (2) potential therapeutic effects of estrogen in aging especially in menopausal women.