Obese male zucker rats show basilar dendritic retraction in the medial prefrontal cortex.

Obesity, a prevalent disorder, predisposes individuals to metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and high blood pressure. Obesity has been investigated in various organisms that display genetic, high-fat, and high-carbohydrate diet (HFCD)-induced obesity. Recent studies have found that both male and female Zucker rats, which are genetically obese, exhibit alterations in dendritic arborization of neurons in certain structures of the central nervous system.

Neonatal olfactory bulbectomy causes dendritic spine retraction in dorsal hippocampal CA3 neurons in female rats and spatial learning deficits in male rats.

Olfactory bulbectomy (OBX) is an experimental strategy that is widely employed because it produces changes at different levels (from behavioral to molecular) that can be related to symptoms of depression in humans. This procedure has been widely studied in adult rats, but little information has been obtained of its effect in neonatal rats. The objective of the present study was to evaluate learning and memory capacity and dendritic spine density in dorsal hippocampal CA3 neurons.

Obese male Zucker rats exhibit dendritic remodeling in neurons of the hippocampal trisynaptic circuit as well as spatial memory deficits.

Obesity is characterized by excessive fat accumulation. The Zucker rat displays genetic obesity due to a mutation in the leptin receptor gene; this model is of great interest because of its similarity to human obesity. Brain regions may be affected by obesity, but detailed information is lacking.

Changes in dendritic arborization related to the estrous cycle in pyramidal neurons of layer V of the motor cortex.

Many studies on neuronal plasticity have been conducted in the hippocampus and sensory cortices. In female rats in the estrus phase, when there is a low concentration of estradiol in the blood, there is a reduction in the dendritic spine density of CA1 neurons, while an increase in dendritic spines has been observed during metestrus, when progesterone levels are high. In comparison with the hippocampus, less information is known about dendritic remodeling of the motor cortex.

Obese female Zucker rats (fa/fa) exhibit dendritic retraction in neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus.

The ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) is located in the tuberal region of the hypothalamus and is traditionally considered the satiety center. In obese Zucker rats, which express a mutation in the leptin receptor gene and exhibit obesity from the first weeks of life, the morphology of VMH neurons is unknown. In the present study, we found that the dendritic length of VMH neurons in obese Zucker rats was significantly shorter than that in Long Evans rats.

Cognitive training increases dendritic arborization in the dorsal hippocampal CA1 and CA3 neurons of female and male Long-Evans rats.

Experiences influence the development of the central nervous system. Cognitive training promotes changes in the structure of the brain, such as in its weight and number of cells, as well as ability to perform dendritic remodeling. The present study was designed to detect possible differences in the neuronal morphology of the dorsal hippocampus between female and male Long-Evans rats after cognitive training (CT).

Increased dendritic length in CA1 and CA3 hippocampal neurons during the metestrus phase in Wistar rats.

Studies have shown that changes in ovarian hormone concentrations promote natural fluctuations in the density of dendritic spines of hippocampal neurons in female Sprague-Dawley rats, without changes in dendritic length, throughout the estrous cycle. However, it is still unknown whether these fluctuations are present in other rat strains. Due to our interest in Wistar rats, the objective of the present study was to determine if there is natural dendritic remodeling in the female Wistar rat throughout the estrous cycle.

Hemi-ovariectomies promote a decrease in the dendritic lengths of CA1 and CA3 neurons: A dimorphic effect of the cerebral hemispheres.

Certain structures of the central nervous system (CNS) are morphologically and functionally related to the ovaries. Ovariectomy has been used to study the functional role of the ovaries in the CNS, as well as the role of the CNS on the reproductive system. In the present study, the effects of left and right hemi-ovariectomy on the morphology of pyramidal neurons from the CA1 and CA3 regions of the ventral hippocampus were studied.

The effects of chronic restraint on the morphology of ventral CA1 neurons in female Long Evans rats.

Women are more likely than men to develop psychopathology as a result of stress, but there is little research regarding the effects of a stressful condition and its treatment in female non-human animals, perhaps because of inherent hormonal activity. Recent studies have demonstrated that there are structural and functional differences between the dorsal and ventral hippocampus, but the effects of stress on the morphology of CA1 and CA3 neurons have been studied primarily in the dorsal hippocampus. This study assessed the effects of stress induced by restricted movement on the morphology of ventral hippocampal CA1 neurons in male and female rats.

Dexamethasone induces different morphological changes in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus of rats.

Dexamethasone (DEX), a synthetic glucocorticoid widely used in neurological illnesses because of its antiinflammatory properties, has many serious side effects, including severe psychiatric symptoms such as psychoses. The hippocampus is divided in the dorsal hippocampus (DH) and ventral hippocampus (VH) with each region having a subfield of CA1 and CA3 pyramidal layers. Great interest has recently emerged showing that the DH and VH are functionally different.