Stress and memory: exploring the role of sex differences

Memory function can be significantly affected by stress, particularly in the context of emotional and traumatic memories. Growing evidence highlights sex differences in stress-induced memory alterations, with male and female subjects displaying distinct behavioral responses to stressful experiences. Understanding these differences is crucial for elucidating the neurobiological underpinnings of stress-induced memory impairments, a hallmark of stress-related diseases such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this talk, I will present findings on the sex-dependent impact of stress on emotional and traumatic memory in male and female rats. Specifically, I will share results demonstrating that memory alterations induced by two distinct PTSD experimental paradigms—single prolonged stress (SPS) and a footshock-based model combined with social isolation—vary between sexes. SPS reproduces key PTSD-like features in the long term, with males exhibiting greater deficits in spatial memory and females showing more pronounced alterations in fear memory. Additionally, the footshock-based model paired with social isolation reveals sex differences in fear expression, extinction, and reactivation, particularly in terms of passive and active behavior and ultrasonic vocalizations emission. These findings emphasize the importance of considering sex as a biological variable in stress and memory research. Investigating the differential effects of stress on memory in males and females could provide critical insights into the neurobiological basis of PTSD and other stress-related disorders. This knowledge may contribute to the development of precision-medicine approaches for more effective prophylactic and therapeutic interventions.