THE EFFECT OF OVARIECTOMY AND ESTRADIOL REPLACEMENT ON BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR MESSENGER-RIBONUCLEIC-ACID EXPRESSION IN CORTICAL AND HIPPOCAMPAL BRAIN-REGIONS OF FEMALE SPRAGUE-DAWLEY RATS

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder w hose etiology is presently unknown. Probably the mast consistent and w idespread deficit seen in this syndrome is that of the basal forebrain cholinergic system. We have previously demonstrated that estradiol (E (2)) modulates the function of these neurons and plays a role in their maintenance by preventing the ovariectomy-induced decrease in choline acetyltransferase activity. It has been postulated that the lack of n eurotrophic support may contribute at least in part to degeneration of cholinergic neurons in AD. As such, it is hypothesized that E(2) may affect cholinergic function by modulating the levels of certain neurot rophic factors. We have shown that 3 months after ovariectomy (OVX) th ere was a significant reduction in NGF messenger RNA (mRNA) levels. In the present study, we extended the hypothesis that E(2) may serve a n eurotrophomodulatory role by assessing the effect of OVX and E(2) repl acement on brain-derived nerve factor (BDNF) mRNA levels using in situ hybridization. BDNF mRNA levels were quantified in three groups of an imals: ovary-intact animals, 28-week ovariectomized (OVX) animals, and E(2)-replaced OVX animals. Twenty-eight weeks after OVX, there were s ignificant reductions in two of the three cerebral cortical regions an alyzed [frontal (35%) and temporal (39%) cortexes], but E(2) replaceme nt was without effect. Twenty-eight weeks after OVX, there were also r eductions in BDNF mRNA in all subregions of the hippocampus except CA1 (CA2 by 38%, CA3 by 44%, CA4 by 39%, and dentate gyrus by 37%), where as E(2) replacement was effective in elevating BDNF mRNA levels in the CA3, CA4, and dentate gyrus subregions. Collectively, the data demons trate that E(2) deprivation leads to a reduction in BDNF mRNA. Further , at the time point studied, E(2) replacement is more effective in mai ntaining BDNF mRNA in the hippocampus than in the cortex, suggesting a regional difference in the ovarian steroid requirement for expression of BDNF.