Figure 3.

CUMS-induced spatial learning and memory impairment, anhedonic-like behaviors, and anxiety-like behaviors in male rats were accompanied by a decrease in KL protein levels in the hippocampus of male but not female rats. Experimental design. Sucrose preference test (SPT), open-field test (OFT), and Morris water maze (MWM) test (A). Latency to the platform in rats of both sexes during 5-day training in the MWM test. CUMS decreased the latency on day 5 during training in male but not female rats (B). CUMS decreased the number of platform crossings (C) and the time spent in the target quadrant (D) in males only on day 6 during the probe trial. Only male rats showed a decrease in sucrose consumption in the SPT after CUMS (E). Time spent in the center of the open field (F), the number of rearing times (G), the number of grooming times (H), and the total distance traveled (I) in the OFT. Representative confocal images of KL staining (red) in the hippocampal CA1 area in female control (J), female CUMS (K), male control (L), and male CUMS (M) rats. Quantification of fluorescence intensity of KL staining in the hippocampal CA1 area in male and female rats (N). Western blot analysis of KL protein (130 kDa) in the hippocampus of male and female rats (O,P). Data are shown as the mean ± SEM. Two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p <0.001, n = 8–10.