Same Drug Can Have Opposite Effects on Memory in Males and Females

A research study group from the Institut de Neurociències at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (INc-UAB) has actually revealed that inhibition through a drug of the Tac2 neuronal circuit, associated with the development of the memory of worry, has opposite impacts on the capability to keep in mind aversive occasions in mice according to sex: it is minimized in male mice and increased in female mice.

Is the very first time that a drug has actually been revealed to produce this opposite impact on the memory of male and female mice. The research study likewise proofs that opposing molecular systems and habits can happen in memory development depending upon sex. The research study has actually been released in Nature Communications.

The research study group on Translational systems of the memory of worry led by Raül Andero, teacher and scientist at ICREA, has actually been studying the performance of worry memory for several years to discover treatments for pathologies connected with terrible experiences, such as post-traumatic tension and fears.

The research study group had actually recognized that the Tac2 circuit, situated in the amygdala, might be briefly obstructed by the impact of a drug they are studying. This drug, called Osanetant, had the ability to lower the capability to remember terrible occasions in male mice. In the research study released now, they found that this exact same drug produces the opposite impact in female mice, increasing their worry memory.

This opposite impact is described by the reality that, in obstructing the Tac2 path, the drug connects with the neuronal receptors of 2 sex hormonal agents: testosterone in males and estrogen in women. In addition, it has actually been observed that hormone changes throughout the estrous cycle in female mice, comparable to the menstruation in females, differ the impacts of the drug on the capability to keep in mind aversive occasions.

”These results show the capability that hormonal agents need to regulate the development of worry memories, and reveal the requirement to think about sex distinctions and hormone cycles in the style of medicinal treatments for psychiatric conditions”, states Antonio Florido, INc-UAB predoctoral scientist and very first author of the short article.

In the field of neurosciences, just one research study in women is released for each 5.5 carried out in males. And research study on Tac2 path has actually likewise been done mainly in males up until now.

“Understanding how and why memory processes differ between sexes is key to designing treatments for fear disorders, especially considering that women are the ones who most often present these types of disorders. Some drugs that are already used may not have the expected effects on them,” states Raül Andero, the research study planner. “Our findings may help raise awareness of the need to do research differentiating by sex and promote basic and clinical studies that include the female sex,” he includes.

The drug studied is not brand-new, however it is safe for usage in people. However, at the minute it is not being utilized to deal with any illness. Dr. Andero’s group is now examining its prospective usage in dealing with worry conditions in a different way by sex.

In this research study, which has actually been performed in cooperation with other INc-UAB research study groups and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), researchers reveal the significance of individualized medication. “Mental health drugs that we have today, not only for memory-related disorders, are not specific enough and may be causing contrary effects to those desired,” they conclude.

Reference: “Sex differences in fear memory consolidation via Tac2 signaling in mice” by A. Florido, E. R. Velasco, C. M. Soto-Faguás, A. Gomez-Gomez, L. Perez-Caballero, P. Molina, R. Nadal, O. J. Pozo, C. A. Saura and R. Andero, 3 May 2021, Nature Communications.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22911-9