title: Variable impact of chronic stress on spatial learning and memory in BXD mice.
abstract: The effects of chronic stress on learning are highly variable across individuals. This variability stems from gene-environment interactions. However, the mechanisms by which stress affects genetic predictors of learning are unclear. Thus, we aim to determine whether the genetic pathways that predict spatial memory performance are altered by previous exposure to chronic stress. Sixty-two BXD recombinant inbred strains of mice, as well as parent strains C57BL/6J and DBA/2J, were randomly assigned as behavioral control or to a chronic variable stress paradigm and then underwent behavioral testing to assess spatial memory and learning performance using the Morris water maze. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping was completed for average escape latency times for both control and stress animals. Loci on chromosomes 5 and 10 were found in both control and stress environmental populations; eight additional loci were found to be unique to either the control or stress environment. In sum, results indicate that certain genetic loci predict spatial memory performance regardless of prior stress exposure, while exposure to stress also reveals unique genetic predictors of training during the memory task. Thus, we find that genetic predictors contributing to spatial learning and memory are susceptible to the presence of chronic stress.
authors.affiliation: Applied Neuroscience, 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, United States.
authors.forename: Chloe J A
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Shea
authors.affiliation: Applied Neuroscience, 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, United States; Research Associate Program, National Research Council, National Academies of Science, Washington DC 20001, United States.
authors.forename: Kimberly A K
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Carhuatanta
authors.affiliation: Applied Neuroscience, 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, United States.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Applied Neuroscience, 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, United States; Infoscitex, Inc., Dayton, OH 45435, United States.
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bechmann
authors.affiliation: Applied Neuroscience, 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, United States; Infoscitex, Inc., Dayton, OH 45435, United States.
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, United States.
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Herman
authors.affiliation: Applied Neuroscience, 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, United States. Electronic address: Ryan.Jankord@us.af.mil.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jankord
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks / Q000235:genetics; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D055647:Rats, Transgenic; D065853:Spatial Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D065852:Spatial Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: BXD; Genetics; QTL; Spatial learning; Spatial memory; Stress