--- title: Does progesterone affect brain response to emotions differently in anxious women? description: Yes. Women who are naturally more anxious show a stronger brain response to emotional pictures, and this response is strongest during the luteal phase when pr url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/progesterone-mediates-the-late-positive-potentials-evoked-by-affective-pictures-2015/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does progesterone affect brain response to emotions differently in anxious women? Survey study, 2015 # Does progesterone affect brain response to emotions differently in anxious women? Yes. Women who are naturally more anxious show a stronger brain response to emotional pictures, and this response is strongest during the luteal phase when progesterone is high. Moderate study design 42 women with regular cycles (16 high anxiety-prone, 26 low anxiety-prone) ## What they did 42 women with regular cycles were grouped by anxiety-proneness: 16 with high anxiety and 26 with low anxiety. Each viewed emotional pictures (positive, negative, neutral) while brain activity was measured on three cycle days: early follicular, late follicular, and luteal phases. Hormone levels and mood were recorded. ## What they found Women with high anxiety showed stronger brain responses to emotional pictures than low-anxiety women. High-anxiety women showed their strongest response during the luteal phase. Brain response to positive pictures was linked to progesterone levels in high-anxiety women in the early follicular phase. Mood ratings were similar between groups. ## What it means for you If you have a naturally anxious personality, your brain may respond more intensely to emotions throughout your cycle, driven by progesterone levels. This suggests hormonal changes affect emotional processing more in anxious women. Limited to women with regular cycles and no history of psychiatric conditions. 42 women studied 16 high anxiety-prone women 26 low anxiety-prone women ## About the study Original title Progesterone mediates the late positive potentials evoked by affective pictures in high neuroticism females Authors Zhang W, Zhou R, Wang Q et al. Journal Psychoneuroendocrinology Year 2015 Study design Survey study Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.04.023](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.04.023) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Anxiety disorders and OCD](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-anxiety-disorders/) 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 Can digital tools help diagnose PMDD? Systematic review, 2022 Do mental health disorders get worse during the menstrual cycle? Cohort study, 1993 How common are premenstrual and menstrual symptoms in women? Study, 2026 Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Systematic review, 2022 Do anxiety disorders, PTSD and OCD get worse at certain points in the menstrual cycle? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗