Sex in aging matters: exercise and chronic stress differentially impact females and males across the lifespan
Assessing sex as a biological variable is critical to determining the influence of environmental and lifestyle risks and protective factors mediating behavior and neuroplasticity across the lifespan. We investigated sex differences in affective behavior, memory, and hippocampal neurogenesis followin...
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| Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2024.1508801/full |
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| author | D. Gregory Sullens Kayla Gilley Kayla Gilley Luke E. Moraglia Luke E. Moraglia Sarah Dison Jessica T. Hoffman Madison B. Wiffler Madison B. Wiffler Robert C. Barnes Robert C. Barnes Annie T. Ginty Melanie J. Sekeres Melanie J. Sekeres |
| author_facet | D. Gregory Sullens Kayla Gilley Kayla Gilley Luke E. Moraglia Luke E. Moraglia Sarah Dison Jessica T. Hoffman Madison B. Wiffler Madison B. Wiffler Robert C. Barnes Robert C. Barnes Annie T. Ginty Melanie J. Sekeres Melanie J. Sekeres |
| author_sort | D. Gregory Sullens |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Assessing sex as a biological variable is critical to determining the influence of environmental and lifestyle risks and protective factors mediating behavior and neuroplasticity across the lifespan. We investigated sex differences in affective behavior, memory, and hippocampal neurogenesis following short- or long-term exposure to exercise or chronic mild stress in young and aged mice. Male and female mice were assigned control, running, or chronic stress rearing conditions for 1 month (young) or for 15 months (aged), then underwent a behavioral test battery to assess activity, affective behavior, and memory. Stress exposure into late-adulthood increased hyperactivity in both sexes, and enhanced anxiety-like and depressive-like behavior in aged female, but not male, mice. One month of stress or running had no differential effects on behavior in young males and females. Running increased survival of BrdU-labelled hippocampal cells in both young and aged mice, and enhanced spatial memory in aged mice. These findings highlight the importance of considering sex when determining how aging is differently impacted by modifiable lifestyle factors across the lifespan. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3aee271293cc467b9cd4485e03c6d8cc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1663-4365 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj-art-3aee271293cc467b9cd4485e03c6d8cc2025-01-15T06:10:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience1663-43652025-01-011610.3389/fnagi.2024.15088011508801Sex in aging matters: exercise and chronic stress differentially impact females and males across the lifespanD. Gregory Sullens0Kayla Gilley1Kayla Gilley2Luke E. Moraglia3Luke E. Moraglia4Sarah Dison5Jessica T. Hoffman6Madison B. Wiffler7Madison B. Wiffler8Robert C. Barnes9Robert C. Barnes10Annie T. Ginty11Melanie J. Sekeres12Melanie J. Sekeres13Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, United StatesDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, United StatesDepartment of Biology and Chemistry, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, United StatesDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United StatesDepartment of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, United StatesDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, United StatesDepartment of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, United StatesDepartment of Neurobiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United StatesDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, United StatesDepartment of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, United StatesDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, United StatesDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, United StatesSchool of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaAssessing sex as a biological variable is critical to determining the influence of environmental and lifestyle risks and protective factors mediating behavior and neuroplasticity across the lifespan. We investigated sex differences in affective behavior, memory, and hippocampal neurogenesis following short- or long-term exposure to exercise or chronic mild stress in young and aged mice. Male and female mice were assigned control, running, or chronic stress rearing conditions for 1 month (young) or for 15 months (aged), then underwent a behavioral test battery to assess activity, affective behavior, and memory. Stress exposure into late-adulthood increased hyperactivity in both sexes, and enhanced anxiety-like and depressive-like behavior in aged female, but not male, mice. One month of stress or running had no differential effects on behavior in young males and females. Running increased survival of BrdU-labelled hippocampal cells in both young and aged mice, and enhanced spatial memory in aged mice. These findings highlight the importance of considering sex when determining how aging is differently impacted by modifiable lifestyle factors across the lifespan.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2024.1508801/fullagingsex differencesrunningstressmemoryanxiety-like behavior |
| spellingShingle | D. Gregory Sullens Kayla Gilley Kayla Gilley Luke E. Moraglia Luke E. Moraglia Sarah Dison Jessica T. Hoffman Madison B. Wiffler Madison B. Wiffler Robert C. Barnes Robert C. Barnes Annie T. Ginty Melanie J. Sekeres Melanie J. Sekeres Sex in aging matters: exercise and chronic stress differentially impact females and males across the lifespan Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience aging sex differences running stress memory anxiety-like behavior |
| title | Sex in aging matters: exercise and chronic stress differentially impact females and males across the lifespan |
| title_full | Sex in aging matters: exercise and chronic stress differentially impact females and males across the lifespan |
| title_fullStr | Sex in aging matters: exercise and chronic stress differentially impact females and males across the lifespan |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sex in aging matters: exercise and chronic stress differentially impact females and males across the lifespan |
| title_short | Sex in aging matters: exercise and chronic stress differentially impact females and males across the lifespan |
| title_sort | sex in aging matters exercise and chronic stress differentially impact females and males across the lifespan |
| topic | aging sex differences running stress memory anxiety-like behavior |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2024.1508801/full |
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