Molecular reward mechanisms in male and female mice (IMAGE)
Caption
Figure 8 from Copenhaver & LeGates (2024) visually represents the similarities and differences in how male and female mice strengthen synapses between the nucleus accumbens and hippocampus. The NMDA receptor (gold) is required for transporting calcium into the cell (gray outline) in the male mechanism, whereas females use a different calcium transport receptor (teal) and an adjacent estrogen receptor (magenta). These pathways are conserved in humans, making the work highly translatable to human trials.
Credit
(Ashley Copenhaver and Tara LeGates)
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CC BY-NC-ND