Sex-dependent differences in animal cognition.

The differences in cognitive processes driven by biological sex are the issues that have gotten growing attention recently. Considering the increasing population suffering from various cognitive impairments and the development of therapeutic strategies, it is essential that we recognize the mechanisms responsible for discrepancies observed in male and female learning and memory functions. In this review, we discuss recent reports from preclinical studies on rodents regarding selected cognitive domains to explore the state of knowledge on sex-dependent differences and point to challenges encountered during such research.

Memory impairments in rodent depression models: A link with depression theories.

More than 80% of depressed patients struggle with learning new tasks, remembering positive events, or concentrating on a single topic. These neurocognitive deficits accompanying depression may be linked to functional and structural changes in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. However, their mechanisms are not yet completely understood.

The Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Kinases II and IV as Therapeutic Targets in Neurodegenerative and Neuropsychiatric Disorders.

CaMKII and CaMKIV are calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinases playing a rudimentary role in many regulatory processes in the organism. These kinases attract increasing interest due to their involvement primarily in memory and plasticity and various cellular functions. Although CaMKII and CaMKIV are mostly recognized as the important cogs in a memory machine, little is known about their effect on mood and role in neuropsychiatric diseases etiology.