Summary: Osanetant, a drug that inhibits the Tac2 pathway, has opposite effects on the recall of traumatic events in male and female mice.<\/p>\n
Source: UAB Barelona<\/p>\n
A research team from the Institut de Neuroci\u00e8ncies at the Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona (INc-UAB) has shown that drug-based inhibition of the Tac2 neuronal circuit, a network involved in the formation of fear memories, has opposite effects on the ability to remember aversive events in mice depending on sex. The effect is reduced in male mice and increased in female mice.<\/p>\n
Is the first time that a drug has been shown to produce this opposite effect on the memory of male and female mice. The study also provides evidence that opposing molecular mechanisms and behaviors can occur in memory formation depending on sex.<\/p>\n
The study has been published in Nature Communications.<\/p>\n
The research group on Translational mechanisms of the memory of fear led by Ra\u00fcl Andero, professor and researcher at ICREA, has been studying the functioning of fear memory to find treatments for pathologies associated with traumatic experiences, such as post-traumatic stress and phobias.<\/p>\n