SEX DIFFERENCES IN COGNITIVE PARAMETERS OF LABORATORY MICE DURING ACUTE RADIATION EXPOSURE

Abstract

Radiosensitivity, the susceptibility of living organisms to the damaging effects of ionizing radiation, is a critical parameter in various fields of science and medicine. From the development of cancer radiation therapy methods to assessing the risks of radiation exposure in humans, understanding the factors influencing radiosensitivity is of paramount importance. One such factor, often overlooked but potentially significant, is sex differences, particularly in the development of posttraumatic cognitive changes.  This study evaluated sex-related differences in laboratory white mice exposed to a 4 Gy dose of gamma radiation. Specifically, cognitive and behavioral parameters were assessed over a three-week period using the Morris water maze and the Open field test. The obtained results of Morris water maze demonstrated that impairments in spatial learning and hippocampus-dependent memory under irradiation conditions were more pronounced in female mice, whereas male mice retained comparatively better spatial memory performance. In the open field test, female mice exhibited higher locomotor and exploratory activity, greater movement speed, and increased time spent in the central zone, indicating relatively lower anxiety-like reactivity compared to males. Nevertheless, both sexes demonstrated enhanced anxiety-associated behavior relative to the control group, confirming the presence of radiation-induced stress-related effects following gamma irradiation. Accordingly, sex-based analysis of the experimental data indicates that radiation-induced cognitive and behavioral alterations do not manifest uniformly and differ substantially between males and females. The findings suggest that sex-related differences play a significant role in post-irradiation cognitive and behavioral responses, emphasizing the importance of considering sex as a biological variable in radiobiological research and medical practice.