FRIDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Female mice with a common variant of a gene affected by estrogen levels are more anxious and have impaired memory, according to a study published online Feb. 8 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The findings could explain behavioral changes occurring during the menstrual cycle associated with conditions such as premenstrual syndrome.
Noting that the neurotrophin bone-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a mediator of the effects of estradiol in the hippocampus, Joanna L. Spencer, of the Rockefeller University in New York City, and colleagues engineered mice carrying either the normal BDNF gene (Val) or a common variant (Met) found in 20 to 30 percent of Caucasians.
The researchers found that cycling female mice carrying BDNF Met showed increased anxiety, impaired memory, and reduced exploratory behavior. The optimum performance of memory tasks during various stages of the estrous cycle also differed for mice carrying the variant, and mice carrying BDNF Met had higher expression of BDNF and its receptor in the hippocampus.
"In summary, we show here a reproducible behavioral phenotype of increased anxiety and impaired memory that parallels the phenotype of human Met carriers," Spencer and colleagues conclude. "Efficient translation of this information from the mouse model to clinical studies could result in useful application of BDNF genotype to women's health in the foreseeable future."
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