The uterus may play a role in memory
Rats that had their uterus removed had memory deficits
The uterus is best known for its baby-growing job. But the female organ may also have an unexpected role in memory, a study in rats suggests.
The results, published online December 6 in Endocrinology, counter the idea that the nonpregnant uterus is an extraneous organ. That may have implications for the estimated 20 million women in the United States who have had hysterectomies.
In the study, female rats either underwent removal of the uterus, ovaries, both organs or neither. Six weeks after surgery, researchers led by behavioral neuroscientist Heather Bimonte-Nelson of Arizona State University in Tempe began testing the rats on water mazes with platforms that were hidden just below the surface.