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Effects of Motherhood Experience and Menopause Type on Estrogen-Related Cognitive Function in Female Rats

Poster Session B - Sunday, March 8, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Yasmiere Burke¹, Olga Lipatova¹; ¹Christopher Newport University

This experiment aims to investigate whether estrogen replacement following natural versus surgically induced menopause produces differential effects on females depending on their previous motherhood experience. Some research suggests that giving birth tends to enhance learning and memory in both humans and non-human animals (Li et al., 2013). These findings are more inconsistent in human than in animal studies, likely due to confounding variables such as the uncontrolled use of hormonal birth control, which makes it difficult to draw clear conclusions about the role of pregnancy-related hormones in cognitive outcomes. Physiological effects in non-human animals, however, appear more consistent. For example, reproductive experience induces long-lasting changes in the brain and behavior of rats, including increased neural plasticity in brain regions involved in learning and memory (Kinsley et al., 1999). Furthermore, studies have found that previous pregnancies increase both the number and sensitivity of estrogen receptors in the brain (Byrnes et al., 2009). If previous motherhood enhances sensitivity to estrogen, these females should benefit more from estrogen treatment during menopause. Using rat models to induce both natural menopause (via 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide) and surgical menopause (via ovariectomy; OVX) (see Koebele & Bimonte-Nelson, 2016, for review), followed by estrogen replacement, will allow for a controlled examination of menopause-related cognitive decline and the restorative effects of estrogen. Learning, memory, and cognition will be evaluated using the open field tower maze (OFTM) in 24-hour and 30-day retention tests. This design will thus explore whether prior reproductive experience mediates the cognitive benefits of estrogen treatment.

Topic Area: LONG-TERM MEMORY: Development & aging