PSYC/NSCI Lecture: Dr. Donna Korol

Lecture Title: “Hormones have their ups and downs: Bi-directional effects of estrogens on learning and memory.”

Description: For centuries, we have known that hormones regulate adult expression of all types of behaviors, from eating, to navigating, to reproducing, to parenting, and many more. Some hormones, such as estrogens known for their role in reproduction, produce robust effects on cognition, at times improving learning and memory, at times impairing learning and memory, and still at other times having no effects at all. Using a multiple memory systems approach with behavioral tasks that tap the function of different brain regions, Dr. Korol’s lab has shown that the mixed actions of estrogens on cognition are explained in part by the learning strategies used to solve a particular task and the brain regions engaged during learning. Recent findings that point to neurobiological mechanisms for these bidirectional effects of estrogens on cognition will be discussed, including working models for activation of specific cell signaling pathways and provision of brain energy resources.