Changes in the Ultrastructure of Synapses in the Anterior Cortical Nucleus of the Amygdaloid Body of the Brain in Female Rats in Relation to Sex Hormone Levels

We present here an analysis of the ultrastructural characteristics of synapses in the anterior cortical nucleus of the amygdaloid body of the brain in female WAG/Rij rats (n = 9) with different levels of female sex hormones. The results of this study demonstrated that ovariectomy led to structural changes in synapses and decreases in the total number of synapses as compared with the control group, while hormone replacement therapy led to recovery of synapse structure and number. In terms of the level of dense projections, the control and post-ovariectomy groups were dominated by asymmetrical synapses (52%); in terms of the type of curvature of the plane of the synaptic contact, synapses with positively curved contacts dominated. Replacement therapy was followed by a minor decrease in the number of asymmetrical synapses (47%), most having negatively curved contacts. Complex synaptic contacts of the divergent and convergent types were seen, which is evidence that contacts were in an active functional state. The number of perforated synapses increased significantly from 14.3 to 50%, which may be evidence of estrogen activation of synapses.

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