TY - JOUR
T1 - Intergenerational effect of parental spatial training on offspring learning
T2 - Evidence for sex differences in memory function
AU - Riyahi, Javad
AU - Abdoli, Behrouz
AU - Haghparast, Abbas
AU - Petrosini, Laura
PY - 2019/11/1
Y1 - 2019/11/1
N2 - On the basis of recent works demonstrating that environmental factors experienced by parents can affect their offspring, the present study was aimed at investigating whether the learning of a spatial memory task by parents before fertilization can facilitate the same learning in their offspring, and the role each parent can play in this transition. In the present study animals spatially trained (or not) in the Morris water maze were mated, and their 4 week-old male and female pups underwent spatial assessment in the same spatial task. Also, ERK1/2, BDNF, SYT1 and H3K14ac levels in the hippocampus of offspring were analyzed. We found that parental spatial training before fertilization facilitated the spatial learning and memory in their offspring. Interestingly, it was found that this transmission happened from fathers to their male offspring, and from mothers to their female offspring. Moreover, father's spatial training increased expression of BDNF and phosphorylated ERK1/2 specifically in the male offspring. We observed that father's spatial training increased acetylated H3K14 in male offspring's hippocampus, suggesting that histone acetylation may upregulate the expression of BDNF and phosphorylated ERK1/2 in the male offspring of father trained and thus contribute to the enhancement of spatial learning and memory.
AB - On the basis of recent works demonstrating that environmental factors experienced by parents can affect their offspring, the present study was aimed at investigating whether the learning of a spatial memory task by parents before fertilization can facilitate the same learning in their offspring, and the role each parent can play in this transition. In the present study animals spatially trained (or not) in the Morris water maze were mated, and their 4 week-old male and female pups underwent spatial assessment in the same spatial task. Also, ERK1/2, BDNF, SYT1 and H3K14ac levels in the hippocampus of offspring were analyzed. We found that parental spatial training before fertilization facilitated the spatial learning and memory in their offspring. Interestingly, it was found that this transmission happened from fathers to their male offspring, and from mothers to their female offspring. Moreover, father's spatial training increased expression of BDNF and phosphorylated ERK1/2 specifically in the male offspring. We observed that father's spatial training increased acetylated H3K14 in male offspring's hippocampus, suggesting that histone acetylation may upregulate the expression of BDNF and phosphorylated ERK1/2 in the male offspring of father trained and thus contribute to the enhancement of spatial learning and memory.
KW - Effect
KW - ERK1/2
KW - H3K14
KW - Intergenerational
KW - Memory
KW - Offspring
KW - Parental spatial training
KW - Sex differences
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85072840145&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85072840145&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2019.08.020
DO - 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2019.08.020
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85072840145
VL - 153
SP - 314
EP - 323
JO - Brain Research Bulletin
JF - Brain Research Bulletin
SN - 0361-9230
ER -