Penn State Altoona, Division of Mathematics & Natural Sciences, 3000 Ivyside Dr., Altoona, PA 16601, USA.
Horm Behav. 2022 May;141:105151. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105151. Epub 2022 Mar 14.
A large body of research has been dedicated to understanding the factors that modulate spatial cognition and attributes of the hippocampus, a highly plastic brain region that underlies spatial processing abilities. Variation in gonadal hormones impacts spatial memory and hippocampal attributes in vertebrates, although the direction of the effect has not been entirely consistent. To add complexity, individuals in the field must optimize fitness by coordinating activities with the appropriate environmental cues, and many of these behaviors are correlated tightly with seasonal variation in gonadal hormone release. As such, it remains unclear if the relationship among systemic gonadal hormones, spatial cognition, and the hippocampus also exhibits seasonal variation. This review presents an overview of the relationship among gonadal hormones, the hippocampus, and spatial cognition, and how the seasonal release of gonadal hormones correlates with seasonal variation in spatial cognition and hippocampal attributes. Additionally, this review presents other neuroendocrine mechanisms that may be involved in modulating the relationship among seasonality, gonadal hormone release, and the hippocampus and spatial cognition, including seasonal rhythms of steroid hormone binding globulins, neurosteroids, sex steroid hormone receptor expression, and hormone interactions. Here, endocrinology, ecology, and behavioral neuroscience are brought together to present an overview of the research demonstrating the mechanistic effects of systemic gonadal hormones on spatial cognition and the hippocampus, while, at a functional level, superimposing seasonal effects to examine ecologically-relevant circannual changes in gonadal hormones and spatial behaviors.
大量研究致力于理解调节空间认知和海马体属性的因素，海马体是一个高度可塑性的大脑区域，是空间处理能力的基础。在脊椎动物中，性腺激素的变化会影响空间记忆和海马体属性，但影响的方向并不完全一致。为了增加复杂性，该领域的个体必须通过协调与适当环境线索的活动来优化适应性，而许多这些行为与性腺激素释放的季节性变化密切相关。因此，目前尚不清楚系统性腺激素、空间认知和海马体之间的关系是否也存在季节性变化。本综述介绍了性腺激素、海马体和空间认知之间的关系，以及性腺激素的季节性释放如何与空间认知和海马体属性的季节性变化相关，此外，还介绍了其他可能涉及调节季节性、性腺激素释放和海马体与空间认知之间关系的神经内分泌机制，包括类固醇激素结合球蛋白、神经甾体、性激素受体表达和激素相互作用的季节性节律。在这里，内分泌学、生态学和行为神经科学被结合在一起，概述了展示系统性腺激素对空间认知和海马体的机制影响的研究，同时，在功能水平上，叠加季节性影响来检查与生态相关的年度性腺激素和空间行为变化。
