SEX-DIFFERENCES IN THE EFFECTS OF ACUTE SWIM STRESS ON BINDING TO GABA-A RECEPTOR IN MOUSE-BRAIN

Acute swim stress (3-min swim at 32-degrees-C) in female, but not in male, mice results in substantial changes in the characteristics of GABA binding to membranes prepared from the forebrain. These changes were larger when measured in a relatively crude membrane preparation than in a well-washed membrane preparation commonly used in GABA binding assays, consistent with the loss of endogenous modulators of GABA binding in the latter preparation. These changes may be related to stress-induced alterations in part in the modulation of the characteristics of GABA binding by endogenous steroids, as the acute swim stress produced a larger increase in plasma corticosterone levels in female than in male mice.