Hippocampal changes in STZ-model of Alzheimer's disease are dependent on sex.

The majority of Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases are sporadic and aging is the major risk factor for developing the disease, affecting more women than men. In spite of different gender prevalence, most experimental studies in animal models have been performed in male. This study investigates the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced AD model at three different times (2, 4 and 8 weeks afterwards) and in male and female rats, evaluating cognitive deficit, cholinergic neurotransmission, glucose uptake, glutathione content and specific glial markers (GFAP and S100B protein) in the hippocampus of the rat.