Do female rats depend in part on their uterus for memory?

That’s the surprising conclusion of a recent study that required rats who had had their ovaries or their uterus removed or both and then had to negotiate a water maze six weeks later:

As compared with the other rats, animals who had only their uterus removed struggled more as the test became increasingly difficult. The scientists also observed differences in the hormone levels of these rats. Overall, the study suggests that signals from the uterus—and not the ovaries, which are better known for their hormone production—influence brain function. Carolyn Wilke, “Rat Study Points to Role of Uterus in Memory” at The Scientist

Memory may be more complex than we think.

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See also: Food, sex, and memory in one-celled algae, once again

Neuroscience: RNA can transfer memory in sea slugs

and

Epigenetics: Fertilized egg deletes sperm’s epigenetic memory

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