Study, 2019
Does brain activity at rest change across the menstrual cycle in women?
Yes. In women, brain activity in thinking and planning areas changed across menstrual cycle phases, while this activity stayed stable in men across testing sessions. Brain activity in hearing areas stayed stable in both.
What they did
Women had brain scans at rest during three different menstrual cycle phases. Men had three brain scans at different times. Researchers studied two networks: the default mode network active during thinking and planning, and an auditory network involved in hearing.
What they found
In men, activity in the default mode network stayed the same across scans. In women, this activity varied across menstrual cycle phases. In the auditory network, men and women showed different patterns that remained consistent each time they were tested.
What it means for you
The brain's resting activity, especially in thinking and planning areas, may shift during the menstrual cycle in women while remaining stable in men. This suggests menstrual hormones affect how the brain works. The main limitation is that this was only a brain imaging study and did not measure whether these brain changes affect actual thinking, memory, or daily experiences.
3
menstrual cycle phases studied in women
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brain networks examined
About the study
- Original title
- Sex differences and menstrual cycle effects in cognitive and sensory resting state networks
- Authors
- Weis S, Hodgetts S, Hausmann M
- Journal
- Brain and cognition
- Year
- 2019
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- None; observational brain imaging across menstrual cycle phases
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2017.09.003