Topic: female rats

We have established that the posterior intralaminar thalamic nucleus (PIL) receives ascending input from the somatosensory system and promotes social grooming in female rats. In the present study, we focused on the role of PIL neurons in aggressive behavior. For chemogenetic manipulation of PIL neurons, we injected AAV into the PIL, which expressed excitatory and inhibitory DREADD. In a separate experiment, we selectively tagged socially c-Fos-activated neurons in the PIL. On the first day of the experiments, a vehicle was injected followed by male intruder test 1.5 hours later. On the next da

Administration of ethanol activates the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis, resulting in elevated corticosterone release in adulthood (see Barney et al., 2022; Willey et al., 2012). This response could depend on the subjects' degree of ethanol exposure (see Barney et al., 2022). On the other hand, sex differences have been described in the response of the HPA axis associated with alcohol consumption (Retson et al., 2015). Taking this background into account, in the present research we examine possible sex differences in ethanol-induced plasma cortisol levels in adult Wistar rats with differen

Drug addiction is characterized by long-lasting risk of relapse even after long abstinence periods. Historically, addiction research mainly focused on males, generalizing the findings to females. However, clinical and preclinical studies revealed sex differences in cocaine relapse. Indeed, our previous study revealed a higher cue-induced cocaine seeking in female than male rats, an effect dependent on the hormonal cycle. Females were more vulnerable to cue-induced cocaine seeking during the estrus phase characterized by low progesterone levels, compared to females in non-estrus phase with high