Mechanisms underlying the rapid effects of estradiol and progesterone on hippocampal memory consolidation in female rodents

Contribution to Special Issue on Fast effects of steroids. Although rapid effects of 17 beta-estradiol (E2) and progesterone on cellular functions have been observed for several decades, a proliferation of data in recent years has demonstrated the importance of these actions to cognition. In particular, an emerging literature has demonstrated that these hormones promote the consolidation of spatial and object recognition memories in rodents via rapid activation of numerous cellular events including cell signaling, histone modifications, and local protein translation in the hippocampus. This article provides an overview of the evidence demonstrating that E2 and progesterone enhance hippocampal memory consolidation in female rodents, and then discusses numerous molecular mechanisms thus far shown to mediate the beneficial effects of these hormones on memory formation.