Abstract
Background In the present study, the role of gonadectomy on memory impairment and the density of androgen receptor-immunoreactive neurons in rats’ hippocampus as well as the ability of testosterone to compensate of memory and the density of androgen receptors in the hippocampus was evaluated.MethodsAdult male rats (except intact-no testosterone group) were bilaterally castrated, and behavioral tests performed 2 weeks later. Animals bilaterally cannulated into lateral ventricles and then received testosterone (10, 40 and 120 µg/0.5 µl DMSO) or vehicle (DMSO; 0.5 µl) for gonadectomized-vehicle group, 30 min before training in water maze test. The androgen receptor-immunoreactive neurons were detected by immunohistochemical technique in the hippocampal areas.ResultsIn the gonadectomized male rats, a memory deficit was found in Morris water maze test on test day (5th day) after DMSO administration. Gonadectomy decreased density of androgen receptor-immunoreactive neurons in the rats’ hippocampus. The treatment with testosterone daily for 5 days attenuated memory deficits induced by gonadectomy. Testosterone also significantly increased the density of androgen receptor-immunoreactive neurons in the hippocampal areas. The intermediate dose of this hormone (40 µg) appeared to have a significant effect on spatial memory and the density of androgen receptor-immunoreactive neurons in gonadectomized rats’ hippocampus.ConclusionsThe present study suggests that testosterone can compensate memory failure in gonadectomized rats. Also testosterone replacement can compensate the reduction of androgen receptor-immunoreactive neurons density in the rats’ hippocampus after gonadectomy.
Highlights
In the present study, the role of gonadectomy on memory impairment and the density of androgen receptor-immunoreactive neurons in rats’ hippocampus as well as the ability of testosterone to compensate of memory and the density of androgen receptors in the hippocampus was evaluated
Considering the same training days in different groups, the results showed that gonadectomy (GDX-vehicle group) caused memory impairments via increasing latency on test day
Low and high doses of testosterone (10 and 120 μg/0.5 μl) had no significant differences compared to the GDX-vehicle group, in latency parameter (P > 0.05)
Summary
The role of gonadectomy on memory impairment and the density of androgen receptor-immunoreactive neurons in rats’ hippocampus as well as the ability of testosterone to compensate of memory and the density of androgen receptors in the hippocampus was evaluated. Hippocampus, an important subcortical structure in the mammalian brain, has been shown to be involved in several types of learning and memory processes [1,2,3]. The hippocampus has a well-documented role in spatial memory acquisition [4]. Some reports showed that androgens are involved in the modulation of learning and memory [15, 16]. Changes in gonadal androgen levels over the time of life, in addition to cause the variation in cognitive function, make some type of neurodegenerative disorder such as Alzheimer diseases (AD) [16,17,18,19,20,21].
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