title: Mood and memory function in ovariectomised rats exposed to social instability stress.
abstract: This study aims to compare the effects of social instability stress on memory and anxiety- and depressive-like behaviour between sham-operated controls and ovariectomised (OVX) rats. Forty adult female Sprague-Dawley rats (8 weeks old) were randomly divided into four groups, (n = 10 per group). These were non-stressed sham-operated control rats, stressed sham-operated control rats, non-stressed OVX rats, and stressed OVX rats. The rats were subjected to social instability stress procedure for 15 days. Novel object recognition, open field, and forced swim tests were conducted after the stress procedure. Serum estradiol, ACTH and corticosterone levels were measured using commercially available ELISA kits. Lower serum estradiol level and uterine weight with higher weight gain were observed in OVX rats compared to sham-operated controls. Serum ACTH, and corticosterone levels were higher in stressed compared to non-stressed groups. Memory deficit and anxiety- and depressive-like behaviour were significantly increased in stressed compared to non-stressed OVX rats but these changes were not seen in sham-operated controls. These results suggest that the high circulating corticosterone acts synergistically with low circulating estradiol to exert negative effects on mood and memory function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Badriya
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Al-Rahbi
authors.forename: Rahimah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zakaria
authors.forename: Zahiruddin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Othman
authors.forename: Asma'
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: Sangu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muthuraju
authors.forename: Wan Mohd Zahiruddin
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Wan Mohammad
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood*; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D010052:Ovariectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology; D051381:Rats; D012919:Social Behavior; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D004958:Estradiol; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003345:Corticosterone