title: Luteinizing hormone acts at the hippocampus to dampen spatial memory.
abstract: Luteinizing hormone (LH) rises dramatically during and after menopause, and has been correlated with an increased incidence of Alzheimer's disease and decreased memory performance in humans and animal models. To test whether LH acts directly on the dorsal hippocampus to affect memory, ovariectomized female rats were infused with either the LH-homologue human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) or the LH receptor antagonist deglycosylated-hCG (dg-hCG). Infusion of hCG into either the lateral ventricle or the dorsal hippocampus caused significant memory impairments in ovariectomized estradiol-treated females. Consistent with this, infusion of the LH antagonist dg-hCG into the dorsal hippocampus caused an amelioration of memory deficits in ovariectomized females. Furthermore, the gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist Antide, failed to act in the hippocampus to affect memory. These findings demonstrate a significant role for LH action in the dorsal hippocampus in spatial memory dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Oberlin College, 119 Woodland St, Oberlin, OH 44074, USA.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Burnham
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Oberlin College, 119 Woodland St, Oberlin, OH 44074, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sundby
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Oberlin College, 119 Woodland St, Oberlin, OH 44074, USA.
authors.forename: Abigail
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laman-Maharg
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Oberlin College, 119 Woodland St, Oberlin, OH 44074, USA. Electronic address: jan.thornton@oberlin.edu.
authors.forename: Janice
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thornton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D006727:Hormone Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000502:physiology*; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000188:drug therapy; D010052:Ovariectomy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011974:Receptors, LH / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D065852:Spatial Memory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D006727:Hormone Antagonists; D011974:Receptors, LH; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone
keywords: Aging; Alzheimer's disease; Estrogen; Hippocampus; Luteinizing hormone; Spatial memory