Sex-Dependent Effects of Stress in Male Rats on Memory and Expression of the Insulin-Like Growth Factor 2 Receptor Gene in the Brains of Offspring

• Published in: Neuroscience and behavioral physiology Vol. 52; no. 2; pp. 242 - 250
• Main Authors: Ordyan, N. E., Malysheva, O. V., Holova, G. I., Akulova, V. K., Pivina, S. G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.02.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal memory; Behavioral Sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Complications; Gene expression; Insulin; Insulin-like growth factor II; Insulin-like growth factors; Memory; Neocortex; Neonates; Neurobiology; Neurosciences; Offspring; Pattern recognition; Post traumatic stress disorder; offspring; passive avoidance reaction; females; paternal stress; novel object recognition; insulin-like growth factor 2; males; rats; brain
• ISSN: 0097-0549; 1573-899X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11055-022-01232-4

The sequelae of stressing male rats using the “stress–restress” paradigm (a model of post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD) on memory and the expression of the insulin-like growth factor 2 gene ( Igf2 ) were studied in various brain structures in the adult offspring of both sexes. Expression of the Igf2 gene was also studied in neonatal offspring. Paternal stress was found to induce memory defi cit in the passive avoidance reaction and novel object recognition tests, predominantly in male offspring. Memory defi cit in female offspring was seen only in the novel object recognition test. Only male offspring showed reduced expression of the Igf2 gene in the hippocampus and neocortex in adulthood, though this was not seen in neonatal male offspring. These results provide evidence of the sex-specifi c effects of a PTSD-like state in paternal animals on memory and Igf2 gene expression in the brains of their adult offspring.