Yaayy...
I just got an email from my tutor saying my dissertation is being submitted for publishing.. im muchos pleased!
SFN 2006 Abstract
Sex specific effects of environmental enrichment on AMPA receptor expression
*S. L. King, T. West, B. Burman, T. L. Ripley;
Department of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UNITED KINGDOM.
Environmental enrichment has been shown to facilitate neuroplastic changes in the brain as measured by molecular, cellular, electrophysiological and behavioural methods. The present study aimed to determine whether environmental enrichment, consisting of exposure to inanimate objects and social housing, lead to alterations in AMPA receptor expression and whether such changes were sex specific.
Male and female Hooded Lister rats were permanently housed in social groups (single sex, 8/cage) in either a barren (standard laboratory cage) or enriched (larger cage with toys) environment from 3 weeks of age. From 2 to 5 months of age they were tested in a number of behavioural paradigms of learning and memory. At 5 months they were killed and their brains collected and frozen on dry ice. Western blots of samples of microdissected hippocampus and amygdala were probed for AMPA receptor subunit expression.
Significant alterations in GluR2 expression were detected in both amygdala and hippocampus with greatest levels being seen in the barren female rats. In amygdala we found an interaction of sex and housing on GluR2 expression (F(1,28)=4.509, p<0.05). Enrichment resulted in a decreased level of GluR2 expression in enriched females (83.9 (relative density) +/-10.6 (SEM)) compared to barren females (143.1 +/-25) but had no effect on expression of GluR2 in males (barren (82.7 +/-11.0), enriched (90.3 +/-11.5)). Interestingly the barren females had increased levels of GluR2 compared with barren males with the enrichment decreasing female GluR2 levels to that of the male rats (barren or enriched). In the hippocampus a main effect of housing was revealed (F(1,28)=5.126, p<0.05) but no interaction with sex. However the pattern of expression was similar to that seen in amygdala (male barren (96.3 +/-10.8), male enriched (88.3 +/-15.5), female barren (136.3 +/-17.2), female enriched (79.2 +/-13.2)).
These data expand on previous studies showing effects of GluR2 expression in the hippocampus of male rats and mice. The decreased GluR2 levels in the amygdala and hippocampus of female rats exposed to an enriched environment may reflect a shift in the proportion of AMPA receptors able to flux calcium and provide a more labile neuroplastic state to facilitate both LTP and LTD. Future work will determine if reciprocal changes occur in expression patterns of AMPA receptor subtypes able to flux calcium.
SFN 2006 Abstract
Sex specific effects of environmental enrichment on AMPA receptor expression
*S. L. King, T. West, B. Burman, T. L. Ripley;
Department of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UNITED KINGDOM.
Environmental enrichment has been shown to facilitate neuroplastic changes in the brain as measured by molecular, cellular, electrophysiological and behavioural methods. The present study aimed to determine whether environmental enrichment, consisting of exposure to inanimate objects and social housing, lead to alterations in AMPA receptor expression and whether such changes were sex specific.
Male and female Hooded Lister rats were permanently housed in social groups (single sex, 8/cage) in either a barren (standard laboratory cage) or enriched (larger cage with toys) environment from 3 weeks of age. From 2 to 5 months of age they were tested in a number of behavioural paradigms of learning and memory. At 5 months they were killed and their brains collected and frozen on dry ice. Western blots of samples of microdissected hippocampus and amygdala were probed for AMPA receptor subunit expression.
Significant alterations in GluR2 expression were detected in both amygdala and hippocampus with greatest levels being seen in the barren female rats. In amygdala we found an interaction of sex and housing on GluR2 expression (F(1,28)=4.509, p<0.05). Enrichment resulted in a decreased level of GluR2 expression in enriched females (83.9 (relative density) +/-10.6 (SEM)) compared to barren females (143.1 +/-25) but had no effect on expression of GluR2 in males (barren (82.7 +/-11.0), enriched (90.3 +/-11.5)). Interestingly the barren females had increased levels of GluR2 compared with barren males with the enrichment decreasing female GluR2 levels to that of the male rats (barren or enriched). In the hippocampus a main effect of housing was revealed (F(1,28)=5.126, p<0.05) but no interaction with sex. However the pattern of expression was similar to that seen in amygdala (male barren (96.3 +/-10.8), male enriched (88.3 +/-15.5), female barren (136.3 +/-17.2), female enriched (79.2 +/-13.2)).
These data expand on previous studies showing effects of GluR2 expression in the hippocampus of male rats and mice. The decreased GluR2 levels in the amygdala and hippocampus of female rats exposed to an enriched environment may reflect a shift in the proportion of AMPA receptors able to flux calcium and provide a more labile neuroplastic state to facilitate both LTP and LTD. Future work will determine if reciprocal changes occur in expression patterns of AMPA receptor subtypes able to flux calcium.