Influence of Sex, Adolescence, and Aging on the Rat Basolateral Amygdala
Rubinow, Marisa Jane
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/82167
Description
Title
Influence of Sex, Adolescence, and Aging on the Rat Basolateral Amygdala
Author(s)
Rubinow, Marisa Jane
Issue Date
2008
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Janice Juraska
Department of Study
Psychology
Discipline
Psychology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Biology, Neuroscience
Language
eng
Abstract
These studies represent an exploration of normative effects of sex, adolescence, and aging on the rat basolateral amygdala. Study one was a neuroanatomical Golgi study that examined dendritic material in adult and aged male and female basolateral nucleus, and found significant age-related increases in dendritic material in both sexes, along with a sex difference in spine density across age. In study two, neuron number was quantified with stereological methods in the male and female basolateral amygdala at four different ages across the lifespan. The period between adolescence and adulthood was found to be accompanied by significant neuron loss in both sexes. In contrast, the period between adulthood and old age was accompanied by significant increases in the number of glia cells and in the volume of the basolateral amygdala. No sex differences were found at any of the examined ages. The third study examined behavior of adolescent, adult, and aged male and female rats in performance of a BLA-dependent conditioned place preference task. While aging was accompanied by relatively preserved performance, adolescent rats did not perform this task as well as adult rats. Again, no sex differences were detected in performance. Together, these studies highlight the importance of lifespan changes in the rat basolateral amygdala.
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