استروژن باعث افزایش احتباس حافظه مرجع فضایی در کار میدانی باز می شود، اما بیان حافظه فضایی پس از یک موقعیت شروع جدیدی را مختل میکند

Estrogen’s (E) involvement in cognition has been difficult to characterize; numerous studies show that E can both enhance and impair learning and memory. One difficulty may be that experimental paradigms often examine only a single aspect of E’s involvement in cognition, for example, the role E plays in the expression of memory after learning has taken place. In addition, the effect of aversive and/or stressful features inherent to many cognitive tests may contribute to the contradictory findings. The present experiment aims to examine the effect of estradiol (E2) on several elements of cognition in a specific experimental setting. We investigated the within-subject effects of long-term E2 replacement in ovariectomized (OVX) female rats on the acquisition and retention of a hippocampal–mediated spatial reference memory task in a familiar non-threatening environment. Results show that E2-replaced rats and OVX sham-replaced rats acquired the ability to navigate an open-field tower maze in order to obtain a food reward at the same rate. Subsequent to acquisition, both E2-replaced and OVX rats performed the task at comparable levels. However, following a 21-day retention interval, non-replaced rats exhibited a significant impairment in spatial memory when returned to the maze environment, while E2-replaced rats exhibited no change in maze performance. When the OVX group was performing once again at asymptote, test trials were administered during which the rats were placed in a non-experienced start location within the maze. This novel condition significantly reduced correct responses in E2-replaced females whereas OVX controls remained unaffected. These results suggest that while the presence of E2 is not important for acquisition of spatial memory in a safe familiar environment, it improves retention of spatial memory. Data further suggests that E2 disrupts the expression of spatial reference memory following an alteration of the test conditions sustaining a habitual response, possibly by the induced emotionally-arousing state of stress.