Local CRF and oxytocin receptors correlate with female experience-driven avoidance change and hippocampal neuronal plasticity

Abstract

Understanding how experiences affect females' behaviors and neuronal plasticity is essential for uncovering the mechanism of neurodevelopmental disorders. The study explored how neonatal maternal deprivation (MD) and post-weaning environmental enrichment (EE) impacted the CA1 and DG's neuronal plasticity in the dorsal hippocampus, and its relationships with passive avoidance, local corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) levels, and oxytocin receptor (OTR) levels in female BALB/c mice. The results showed that MD damaged passive avoidance induced by foot shock and hotness, and EE restored it partially. In the CA1, MD raised CRF levels and OTR levels. Parallelly, MD increased synaptic connection levels but reduced the branches' numbers of pyramidal neurons. Meanwhile, in the DG, MD increased OTR levels but lowered CRF levels, DNA levels, and spine densities. EE did not change the CA1 and DG's CRF and OTR levels. However, EE added DG's dendrites of granular cells. The additive of MD and EE raised CA1's synaptophysin and DG's postsynaptic density protein-95 and OTR levels, and meanwhile, shaped avoidance behaviors primarily similar to the control. The results suggest that experience-driven avoidance change and hippocampal neuronal plasticity are associated with local CRF and OTR levels in female mice.