Study finds men and women process memory in different ways

The Translational Mechanisms of Fear Memory Lab, at the Institut de Neurociències (INc-UAB), published an article published in Science Advances describing the detection of new neuronal circuits involved in fear memory that differ in males and females.

These findings have profound implications in understanding human neuropsychiatric disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which exhibit fear memory alterations.

Fear is elicited by exposure to danger. Different neuronal circuits are involved in encoding, storing, and retrieving environmental threat-predicting cues, forming the basis of what is known as fear memory. However, the neurobiology behind these processes remains unclear.

A study carried out by the Translational Mechanisms of Fear Memory Lab led by ICREA Professor Dr. Andero, at the INc-UAB, explores the role of a neuronal pathway called Tac2 and the functional connectivity of two different brain areas: the centromedial amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis.

By employing chemogenetics, optogenetics, electrophysiology and in vivo calcium imaging techniques in freely moving mice (Miniscopes), the researchers were able to manipulate and observe these neuronal circuits in mice, showing that functional connectivity between the centromedial amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis is essential for fear memory consolidation in male mice, but not in females.

To corroborate this phenomenon in healthy humans, they analyzed data with functional magnetic resonance imaging, postmortem brain tissue and a fear task in men and women while taking into account a certain genetic variation of the Tac2 receptor. Results showed that this genetic variation reduces the functional connectivity between these two brain areas, showing that memory consolidation when performing a fear task was impaired in men, but not in women.

These findings, built upon previous research carried out by Dr. Andero’s research group, which identified sex-specific effects of Tac2 in the centromedial amygdala, are relevant to design treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders with fear memory alterations, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

This study also addresses the underrepresentation of female samples in preclinical research and aims to bridge the gap in understanding sex differences in fear memory processing at both molecular and behavioral levels.

The insights gained from this research could help find more effective, personalized treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders.