title: Sex differences in aversive memory in rats: possible role of extinction and reactive emotional factors.
abstract: Studies usually show better spatial learning in males and stronger emotional memory in females. Spatial memory differences could relate to diverse strategies, while dissimilar stress reactions could cause emotional memory differences. We compared male and female rats in two emotional (classical emotional conditioning and aversive discrimination memory) and two emotionally "neutral" tasks: (1) plus-maze discriminative avoidance, containing two open and two enclosed arms, one of which presenting aversive stimuli (light/noise). No differences were found in learning, retrieving, or basal emotional levels, while only male rats presented extinction of the task; (2) contextual fear conditioning--a cage was paired to mild foot shocks. Upon reexposure, freezing behavior was decreased in females; (3) spontaneous alternation--the animals were expected to alternate among the arms of a four-arm maze. No differences between genders were found and (4) open-field habituation was addressed in an arena which the rats were allowed to explore for 10 min. Habituation was similar between genders. Differences were found only in tasks with strong emotional contexts, where different fear responses and stress effects could be determinant. The lack of extinction of discriminative avoidance by females points out to stronger consolidation and/or impaired extinction of aversive memories.
authors: Laboratório de Estudos de Memória, Departamento de Fisiologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
authors: Alessandra M
authors: AM
authors: Ribeiro
authors: Flávio F
authors: FF
authors: Barbosa
authors: Monique R
authors: MR
authors: Godinho
authors: Valéria S
authors: VS
authors: Fernandes
authors: Hermany
authors: H
authors: Munguba
authors: Thieza G
authors: TG
authors: Melo
authors: Marla T
authors: MT
authors: Barbosa
authors: Raí A
authors: RA
authors: Eufrasio
authors: Alícia
authors: A
authors: Cabral
authors: Geison S
authors: GS
authors: Izídio
authors: Regina H
authors: RH
authors: Silva
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D004597:Electroshock; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005108:Extinction, Psychological; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012727:Sex Characteristics