--- title: Do menstrual cycle hormones change how the brain works during language tasks? description: Yes. Progesterone and estradiol levels correlated with the amount and pattern of brain activity during language tasks but not during simpler perception tasks. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/menstrual-cycle-dependent-neural-plasticity-in-the-adult-human-brain-is-hormone-2003/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do menstrual cycle hormones change how the brain works during language tasks? Non-randomised trial, 2003 # Do menstrual cycle hormones change how the brain works during language tasks? Yes. Progesterone and estradiol levels correlated with the amount and pattern of brain activity during language tasks but not during simpler perception tasks. This shows hormones affect specific brain regions in specific ways. Early or limited evidence 12 young healthy women with regular menstrual cycles ## What they did Twelve young healthy women had brain scans while performing two different tasks - a language task (semantic decision) and a perception task (letter matching). Scans were done twice: during menstruation (low hormone phase) and mid-luteal phase (high hormone phase). Researchers measured brain activity and correlated it with hormone blood levels. ## What they found Steroid hormone levels correlated with brain activation during the language task but not the perception task. Progesterone correlated with bilateral superior temporal recruitment. Both progesterone and estradiol correlated with medial superior frontal recruitment. Activations in inferior and middle frontal cortex were unaffected by steroid levels. Testosterone correlated with overall activation levels. ## What it means for you Menstrual cycle hormones affect how specific brain regions work, particularly for language tasks. The effect is hormone-specific, task-specific, and region-specific. However, the sample was small (12 women), and findings show brain activity patterns in a lab setting. We do not know if this translates to real-world differences in thinking or to PMS and PMDD symptoms. 12 young healthy women studied 2 testing sessions per woman (low and high hormone phases) 2 cognitive tasks tested (language and perception) ## About the study Original title Menstrual cycle-dependent neural plasticity in the adult human brain is hormone, task, and region specific Authors Fernández G, Weis S, Stoffel-Wagner B et al. Journal The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience Year 2003 Study design Non-randomised trial Participants 12 What was tested None - observational study comparing cycle phases Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.23-09-03790.2003](https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.23-09-03790.2003) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Systematic review, 2026 Do brain wave patterns change across the menstrual cycle? Systematic review, 2026 Can digital tools help diagnose PMDD? Systematic review, 2025 How do cognition and behavior change across the menstrual cycle in people with PMDD? Systematic review, 2025 Does how well women think change throughout their menstrual cycle? Randomised trial, 2025 Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how much alcohol impairs women's memory? Randomised trial, 2024 Does estradiol prevent thinking problems before the period in women with suicidal thoughts? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗