Méndez Pablo, de la Vega-Ruiz Rut, Montes-Mellado Alberto
Instituto Cajal (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
J Neuroendocrinol. 2024 Aug 15:e13441. doi: 10.1111/jne.13441.
Estrogens produced in peripheral tissues and locally in the brain are potent neuromodulators. The function of the hippocampus, a brain region essential for episodic memory and spatial navigation, relies on the activity of ensembles of excitatory neurons whose activity is temporally and spatially coordinated by a wide diversity of inhibitory neurons (INs) types. Over the last years, we have accumulated evidence that indicates that estrogens regulate the function of hippocampal INs through different mechanisms, including transcriptional regulation and rapid nongenomic signaling. Here, we argue that the well-documented influence of estrogens on episodic memory may be related to the actions of local and peripheral estrogens on the heterogenous populations of hippocampal INs. We discuss how physiological changes in peripheral sex hormone levels throughout lifespan may interact with local brain sources to regulate IN function at different stages of life, from early hippocampal development to the aging brain. We conclude that considering INs as mediators of sex hormone actions in the hippocampus across the healthy life span will benefit our understanding of sex-biased neurodevelopmental disorders and physiological aging.
外周组织和大脑局部产生的雌激素是强效神经调节剂。海马体是对情景记忆和空间导航至关重要的脑区，其功能依赖于兴奋性神经元集群的活动，这些神经元的活动在时间和空间上由多种类型的抑制性神经元（INs）协调。在过去几年中，我们积累了证据表明，雌激素通过不同机制调节海马体INs的功能，包括转录调控和快速非基因组信号传导。在此，我们认为雌激素对情景记忆的显著影响可能与局部和外周雌激素对海马体INs异质群体的作用有关。我们讨论了整个生命周期中外周性激素水平的生理变化如何与局部脑源相互作用，以在从海马体早期发育到衰老大脑的不同生命阶段调节INs功能。我们得出结论，将INs视为健康生命周期中雌激素在海马体中作用的介质，将有助于我们理解性别偏见的神经发育障碍和生理衰老。
