Jen Tuscher is the first author on a new paper in Hormones and Behavior (Tuscher et al., 2016, Horm Behav, 83:60-67), published in collaboration with Luke Remage-Healey and his students at UMass Amherst.  This study presents the first evidence that 17β-estradiol synthesized within the dorsal hippocampus is necessary for hippocampus-dependent memory consolidation in rodents.  Although much evidence suggests that estradiol regulates hippocampal memory formation, the beneficial effects of estradiol on memory are generally attributed to ovarian-synthesized estradiol.  However, this new study shows that dorsal hippocampal estradiol synthesis is necessary for both object recognition and spatial memory consolidation in ovariectomized female mice.  As such, this work provides important new insights into the mechanisms underlying estrogenic regulation of cognitive function in rodents.