Psychology
The Impact of Estrogen on Risky Decision-Making in Female Rats
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Subject Area
Psychology
Start Date
11-4-2014 2:30 PM
End Date
11-4-2014 4:30 PM
Sponsor
Teresa Aubele-Futch (Wabash College)
Description
During ovulation, women tend to become more responsive to rewarding stimuli and less responsive to more punishing stimuli. While this reward-dependency is thought to be connected primarily to mating related factors, it is also tangentially connected to mating-unrelated factors in risky decision-making domains. Estrogen, a significant hormone in women's ovulation cycles, may moderate these risky decision-making behaviors. However, it is yet unclear whether the hormones that influence decision-making behavior in women are due to organizational (pre-pubertal) or activational effects (during and post-pubertal), as some studies have suggested that pre-pubertal girls show more impulsive decision-making behaviors than boys on certain decision-making paradigms. Additionally, while studies have explored the influence of hormones on decision-making behaviors, estrogen has yet to be manipulated in a more systematic way in females. Using a rodent version of the Iowa Gambling Task - a paradigm which investigates impulsivity by employing the option of selecting long term or short term rewards or punishments – it is possible to assess whether or not an increase in risky decision-making behaviors is due to activational or organizational effects.
Female rats were given one of three manipulations: ovariectomy (OVX), ovariectomy plus an injection of estrogen (OVX-E), or a sham ovariectomy (natural cycling). If OVX-E females and naturally cycling females both display increased risky decision-making behavior relative to ovariectomized females, this suggests that activational hormones may contribute to increases in risky decision-making behavior. However, if no difference in risky decision-making behavior is found among groups, then this may suggest that organizational hormones are more responsible for decision-making differences among males and females. This study is currently in pilot testing and data collection for it is ongoing.
The Impact of Estrogen on Risky Decision-Making in Female Rats
Indianapolis, IN
During ovulation, women tend to become more responsive to rewarding stimuli and less responsive to more punishing stimuli. While this reward-dependency is thought to be connected primarily to mating related factors, it is also tangentially connected to mating-unrelated factors in risky decision-making domains. Estrogen, a significant hormone in women's ovulation cycles, may moderate these risky decision-making behaviors. However, it is yet unclear whether the hormones that influence decision-making behavior in women are due to organizational (pre-pubertal) or activational effects (during and post-pubertal), as some studies have suggested that pre-pubertal girls show more impulsive decision-making behaviors than boys on certain decision-making paradigms. Additionally, while studies have explored the influence of hormones on decision-making behaviors, estrogen has yet to be manipulated in a more systematic way in females. Using a rodent version of the Iowa Gambling Task - a paradigm which investigates impulsivity by employing the option of selecting long term or short term rewards or punishments – it is possible to assess whether or not an increase in risky decision-making behaviors is due to activational or organizational effects.
Female rats were given one of three manipulations: ovariectomy (OVX), ovariectomy plus an injection of estrogen (OVX-E), or a sham ovariectomy (natural cycling). If OVX-E females and naturally cycling females both display increased risky decision-making behavior relative to ovariectomized females, this suggests that activational hormones may contribute to increases in risky decision-making behavior. However, if no difference in risky decision-making behavior is found among groups, then this may suggest that organizational hormones are more responsible for decision-making differences among males and females. This study is currently in pilot testing and data collection for it is ongoing.
