Elsevier

Hormones and Behavior

Volume 74, August 2015, Pages 28-36
Hormones and Behavior

Review
The evolving role of dendritic spines and memory: Interaction(s) with estradiol

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.05.004Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • Dendritic spine plasticity underlies memory formation.

  • Aging and Alzheimer's disease decrease memory and dendritic spine density.

  • Chronic estrogen increases dendritic spine density and improves memory.

  • Acute estrogen induces rapid enhancements in memory consolidation and increases dendritic spine density.

Abstract

This article is part of a Special Issue “Estradiol and Cognition”.

Memory processing is presumed to depend on synaptic plasticity, which appears to have a role in mediating the acquisition, consolidation, and retention of memory. We have studied the relationship between estrogen, recognition memory, and dendritic spine density in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex, areas critical for memory, across the lifespan in female rodents. The present paper reviews the literature on dendritic spine plasticity in mediating both short and long term memory, as well as the decreased memory that occurs with aging and Alzheimer's disease. It also addresses the role of acute and chronic estrogen treatments in these processes.

Keywords

Estrogen
Estradiol
Dendritic spines
Memory
Hippocampus
Prefrontal cortex
Synaptic plasticity

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