The contribution of the androgen receptor (AR) in human spatial learning and memory: A study in women with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS)

Autor: Martine Cools, Sven C. Mueller, A. Van Branteghem, T. Verwilst, Guy T'Sjoen
Rok vydání: 2016
Předmět:
Male
0301 basic medicine
ORGANIZATIONAL-ACTIVATIONAL HYPOTHESIS
Morris water navigation task
CHILDREN
Water maze
Audiology
Spatial memory
Developmental psychology
Behavioral Neuroscience
0302 clinical medicine
Endocrinology
Complete androgen insensitivity syndrome
Testosterone
BRAIN
ABILITIES
VIRTUAL WATER MAZE
Spatial Memory
Androgen insensitivity
Androgen-Insensitivity Syndrome
Spatial navigation
DIFFERENTIATION
Receptors
Androgen
NAVIGATION
Virtual maze
Female
Androgen insensitivity syndrome
Psychology
Adult
medicine.medical_specialty
SEX-DIFFERENCES
medicine.drug_class
Young Adult
03 medical and health sciences
Memory
medicine
Humans
Learning
Maze Learning
Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
Biology and Life Sciences
PERFORMANCE
medicine.disease
Androgen
Androgen receptor
030104 developmental biology
CONGENITAL ADRENAL-HYPERPLASIA
Psychomotor Performance
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Zdroj: HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR
ISSN: 0018-506X
DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.10.018
Popis: Few studies have examined the impact of androgen insensitivity on human spatial learning and memory. In the present study, we tested 11 women with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS), a rare genetic disorder characterized by complete absence of AR activity, and compared their performance against 20 comparison males and 19 comparison females on a virtual analog of the Morris Water Maze task. The results replicated a main sex effect showing that men relative to women were faster in finding the hidden platform and had reduced heading error. Furthermore, findings indicated that mean performance of women with CAIS was between control women and control men, though the differences were not statistically significant. Effect size estimates (and corresponding confidence intervals) of spatial learning trials showed little difference between women with CAIS and control women but CAIS women differed from men, but not women, on two variables, latency to find the platform and first-move latency. No differences between groups were present during visible platform trials or the probe trial, a measure of spatial memory. Moreover, groups also did not differ on estimates of IQ and variability of performance. The findings are discussed in relation to androgen insensitivity in human spatial learning and memory.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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