Hormonal contraceptives, menstrual cycle and brain response to faces
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Hormonal contraceptives, menstrual cycle and brain response to faces. / Marecková, Klara; Perrin, Jennifer S; Nawaz Khan, Irum; Lawrence, Claire; Dickie, Erin; McQuiggan, Doug A; Paus, Tomás; IMAGEN Consortium.
In: SOC COGN AFFECT NEUR, Vol. 9, No. 2, 01.02.2014, p. 191-200.Research output: SCORING: Contribution to journal › SCORING: Journal article › Research › peer-review
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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 -