Hormonal contraceptives, menstrual cycle and brain response to faces

TY - JOUR

T1 - Hormonal contraceptives, menstrual cycle and brain response to faces

AU - Marecková, Klara

AU - Perrin, Jennifer S

AU - Nawaz Khan, Irum

AU - Lawrence, Claire

AU - Dickie, Erin

AU - McQuiggan, Doug A

AU - Paus, Tomás

AU - IMAGEN Consortium

AU - Büchel, Christian

AU - Finsterbusch, Jürgen

PY - 2014/2/1

Y1 - 2014/2/1

N2 - Both behavioral and neuroimaging evidence support a female advantage in the perception of human faces. Here we explored the possibility that this relationship may be partially mediated by female sex hormones by investigating the relationship between the brain's response to faces and the use of oral contraceptives, as well as the phase of the menstrual cycle. First, functional magnetic resonance images were acquired in 20 young women [10 freely cycling and 10 taking oral contraception (OC)] during two phases of their cycle: mid-cycle and menstruation. We found stronger neural responses to faces in the right fusiform face area (FFA) in women taking oral contraceptives (vs freely cycling women) and during mid-cycle (vs menstruation) in both groups. Mean blood oxygenation level-dependent response in both left and right FFA increased as function of the duration of OC use. Next, this relationship between the use of OC and FFA response was replicated in an independent sample of 110 adolescent girls. Finally in a parallel behavioral study carried out in another sample of women, we found no evidence of differences in the pattern of eye movements while viewing faces between freely cycling women vs those taking oral contraceptives. The imaging findings might indicate enhanced processing of social cues in women taking OC and women during mid-cycle.

AB - Both behavioral and neuroimaging evidence support a female advantage in the perception of human faces. Here we explored the possibility that this relationship may be partially mediated by female sex hormones by investigating the relationship between the brain's response to faces and the use of oral contraceptives, as well as the phase of the menstrual cycle. First, functional magnetic resonance images were acquired in 20 young women [10 freely cycling and 10 taking oral contraception (OC)] during two phases of their cycle: mid-cycle and menstruation. We found stronger neural responses to faces in the right fusiform face area (FFA) in women taking oral contraceptives (vs freely cycling women) and during mid-cycle (vs menstruation) in both groups. Mean blood oxygenation level-dependent response in both left and right FFA increased as function of the duration of OC use. Next, this relationship between the use of OC and FFA response was replicated in an independent sample of 110 adolescent girls. Finally in a parallel behavioral study carried out in another sample of women, we found no evidence of differences in the pattern of eye movements while viewing faces between freely cycling women vs those taking oral contraceptives. The imaging findings might indicate enhanced processing of social cues in women taking OC and women during mid-cycle.

U2 - 10.1093/scan/nss128

DO - 10.1093/scan/nss128

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 23175677

VL - 9

SP - 191

EP - 200

JO - SOC COGN AFFECT NEUR

JF - SOC COGN AFFECT NEUR

SN - 1749-5016

IS - 2

ER -