Sex-specific effect of the anabolic steroid, 17α-methyltestosterone, on inhibitory avoidance learning in periadolescent rats

The illicit use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) has gained popularity among adolescents in the last decade. However, although it is known that exposure to AAS impairs cognition in adult animal models, the cognitive effects during adolescence remain undetermined. An inhibitory avoidance task (I...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behavioural processes 2013-10, Vol.99, p.73-80
Main Authors: Ramos-Pratts, Keyla, Rosa-González, Dariana, Pérez-Acevedo, Nivia L., Cintrón-López, Dahima, Barreto-Estrada, Jennifer L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adolescence
adolescents
adults
Anabolic androgenic steroids
Animal ethology
animal models
Animals
Anxiety
Anxiety - psychology
Avoidance Learning - drug effects
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Fear - psychology
Female
females
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Inhibitory avoidance learning
locomotion
Male
males
memory
Methyltestosterone - pharmacology
Periadolescent
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychomotor Performance - drug effects
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
risk assessment
Sex Characteristics
steroids
Vagina - physiology
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Summary:The illicit use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) has gained popularity among adolescents in the last decade. However, although it is known that exposure to AAS impairs cognition in adult animal models, the cognitive effects during adolescence remain undetermined. An inhibitory avoidance task (IAT) was used to assess the effect of AAS (17α-methyltestosterone; 17α-meT-7.5mg/kg) in male and female periadolescent rats. A single injection of 17α-meT immediately before the footshock produced significant impairment of inhibitory avoidance learning in males but not females. Generalized anxiety, locomotion, and risk assessment behaviors (RAB) were not affected. Our results show that exposure to a single pharmacological dose of 17α-meT during periadolescence exerts sex-specific cognitive effects without affecting anxiety. Thus, disruption of the hormonal milieu during this early developmental period might have negative impact on learning and memory.
ISSN:0376-6357
1872-8308
DOI:10.1016/j.beproc.2013.06.004