The current study investigated whether the androgenic activity of oral contraceptives (OC) mediates performance on sexually dimorphic cognitive tasks in 155 younger individuals. Participants were categorized by hormonal contraceptive use (user vs. nonuser) and the androgenic activity of each OC (OC generation). OC generation was determined based on previous research in which users are grouped based on the type of progestin contained in each OC. Cognitive tasks included the mental rotation task (MRT) and a recognition memory task. In addition, we examined the correlates of both menstrual cycle phase and OC use, such as mood, premenstrual syndrome, depression, blood pressure, and body fat using standardized measures. The main result was that OC androgenicity influenced MRT performance. Second generation OCs are the most androgenic. Thus, MRT performance was best in these OC users as compared to third generation users, Yasmin users and nonusers. On the other hand, Yasmin, a newer generation of OC, contains an "antiandrogenic" progestin, dropirenone. Yasmin users not only performed more poorly on the MRT in comparison to second and third generation pill users, but they performed significantly worse than OC nonusers. Results show that the androgenic activity in OCs influences MRT performance in the presence of static estrogen levels. Overall, the resulting pattern is consistent with a broad range of results demonstrating that visuospatial performance may be enhanced in women who are exposed to androgenic treatments. Furthermore, visuospatial performance is hindered with the introduction of antiandrogenic preparations.
Respondents clearly recognized the importance of AE in neurorehabilitation. Barriers to application of AE and limitations in the use of appropriate screening and training procedures need to be addressed to advance clinical utilization of AE in neurological practice. Understanding current patterns of utilization of AE is important for the development of professional education initiatives and clinical guidelines for best practices in AE for neurological populations. Video Abstract available (see Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1, available at: http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A40) for more insights from the authors.
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