Introduction: In recent years, there have been many works devoted to the study of the effects of sex hormones on cognitive function. Clinical studies have found that inmenopausal women, the tendency to develop type 2 diabetes will increase, the spatial and short-term working memory worsens, and there is a tendency to develop depression. The findings suggest that estrogens are involved in the mechanisms of insulin resistance in tissues, in the synthesis of mediators in the catecholaminergic systems of the brain, but many questions remain unresolved.
The aim: Therefore, the aim of our study was to establish the effect of estrogens on the indices of spatial memory in ovariectomized and old rats against the background of the development of experimental diabetes.
Material and methods: The study was conducted on 30 adult rats females 4-5 months and 20 months. The study groups were ovariectomized and reproduced experimental type 2 diabetes mellitus with protamine sulfate. The study of spatial memory was carried out in an eight-sleeved radial labyrinth.
Results and conclusions: Results and conclusions: Ovariectomy caused the deterioration of spatial memory relative to the living control group, and diabetes mellitus aggravated pathological changes. The changes that occur after ovariectomy suggest estrogen involvement in the regulation of cognitive functions.
Keywords: estrogens; cognitive functions; a spatial memory; diabetes mellitus.