Reproducible stability of verbal and spatial functions along the menstrual cycle

Belinda Pletzer*, Hannah Bodenbach, Marcel Hoehn, Linda Hajdari, Tobias Hausinger, Isabel Noachtar, Adriene M. Beltz

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Recent studies have reported brain changes in response to ovarian hormonal fluctuations along the menstrual cycle. However, it remains unclear, whether these brain changes are of an adaptive nature or whether they are linked to changes in behavior along the menstrual cycle, particularly with respect to cognitive performance. To address this knowledge gap, we report results from 3 well-powered behavioral studies with different task designs, leveraging the advantages of each design type. In all three studies we assessed whether verbal or spatial performance (i) differed between cycle phases, (ii) were related to estradiol and / or progesterone levels and (iii) were moderated by individual hormone sensitivity as estimated by premenstrual symptoms. Overall, results of all three studies point towards a null effect of menstrual cycle phase and – to a lesser extent – ovarian hormones on verbal and spatial performance and provided no evidence for a moderation of this effect by individual hormone sensitivity. We conclude that there is substantial consistency in verbal and spatial performance across the menstrual cycle, and that future studies of intra-individual variation are needed.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)933-941
Number of pages9
JournalNeuropsychopharmacology
Volume49
Issue number6
Early online date24 Jan 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2024

Fields of Science and Technology Classification 2012

  • 501 Psychology

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