Estradiol Modulates Functional Brain Organization during the Menstrual Cycle: An Analysis of Interhemispheric Inhibition

Weis, Susanne; Hausmann, Markus; Stoffers, B.; Vohn, René; Kellermann, Thilo; Sturm, Walter

doi:10.1523/jneurosci.4392-08.2008

Cited by 122 publications

(140 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Moreover, in line with the present DL study, the literature suggests that visual half-field studies that are more cognitively demanding (i.e. wordmatching tasks) are more likely to demonstrate sex hormonal effects on lateralisation (Chiarello et al, 1989;Weekes & Zaidel, 1996;Weis et al, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Indeed, a number of neuropsychological studies, across different modalities and cognitive processes, have demonstrated reduced lateralisation during cycle phases associated with high levels of estradiol during the follicular phase (e.g., Holländer et al, 2005;Weis et al, 2008) or high levels of both estradiol and progesterone during the luteal phase (e.g. Hausmann et al, 2002;Hausmann & Güntürkün, 2000;Hausmann, 2005;Rode et al, 1995;Alexander et al, 2002;Altemus et al, 1989;Mead & Hampson, 1996) as compared to greater lateralisation during the low-hormone menstrual phase in these studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 59%

“…In turn, this would result in a 'decoupling' of the hemispheres by reducing corticocortical transmission and interhemispheric inhibition (Hausmann & Güntürkün, 2000). This model was later revised, in light of evidence that estradiol may also modulate interhemispheric interaction and, in turn, lateralisation (Hausmann et al, 2013;Weis et al, 2008;Weis et al, 2011;Hausmann et al, 2006;Holländer et al, 2005). In line with this hypothesis, Hodgetts et al (2015) argued that the reduced REA found in women with high estradiol levels during the non-forced and forced- Given that interhemispheric inhibition is a universal process that should affect lateralisation generally, it follows that high estradiol levels should also reduce lateralisation for tasks related to the right hemisphere.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Estradiol-related variations in top-down and bottom-up processes of cerebral lateralization.

2017

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The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-pro t purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. (2015) suggested that the effect was due to estradiol-related variations in bottom-up aspects of lateralisation. Method:The present study used two well-established left-and right-lateralised dichotic listening tasks (Hugdahl, 1995(Hugdahl, , 2003Grimshaw et al., 2003;, with forced-attention conditions to differentiate between these two ideas. Fifty-two naturally cycling women underwent both tasks, during either the menstrual, follicular or luteal cycle phase. Saliva estradiol and progesterone levels were determined by luminescence immunoassays. Results:The results showed that sex hormones did not affect language lateralisation, which may be due to the larger degree of lateralisation yielded by the task, compared to that shown by Hodgetts et al. (2015). In the emotional prosody task, high levels of estradiol were marginally associated with a reduction in cognitive control; while the language task yielded no cycle effects for either top-down or bottom-up processes. Conclusions:In sum, the current study revealed weak support for the idea that estradiol affects top-down control of lateralisation, as measured with dichotic listening tasks. Given that the task employed in the present study seemed less cognitively demanding than that used previously, it is suggested that estradiol-related inter-and intra-individual variations in lateralisation are small when task demands are low.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Estradiol-related variations in top-down and bottom-up processes of cerebral lateralization.

2017

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“…The 3T group had a statistically significant leftward bias in caudate asymmetry compared to the 0T group. Weis et al (2008) 14 Heterosexual males and homosexual females showed a rightward cerebral asymmetry, whereas volumes of the cerebral hemispheres were symmetrical in homosexual males and heterosexual females. Homosexual subjects also showed sex-atypical amygdala connections.…”

Section: -22mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cerebral Asymmetry: A Quantitative, Multifactorial, and Plastic Brain Phenotype

Rentería

2012

Twin Res Hum Genet

106

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The longitudinal fissure separates the human brain into two hemispheres that remain connected through the corpus callosum. The left and the right halves of the brain resemble each other, and almost every structure present in one side has an equivalent structure in the other. Despite this exceptional correspondence, the two hemispheres also display important anatomical differences and there is marked lateralization of certain cognitive and motor functions such as language and handedness. However, the mechanisms that underlie the establishment of these hemispheric specializations, as well as their physiological and behavioral implications, remain largely unknown. Thanks to recent advances in neuroimaging, a series of studies documenting variation in symmetry and asymmetry as a function of age, gender, brain region, and pathological state, have been published in the past decade. Here, we review evidence of normal and atypical cerebral asymmetry, and the factors that influence it at the macrostructural level. Given the prominent role that cerebral asymmetry plays in the organization of the brain, and its possible implication in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions, further research in this area is anticipated.

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“…Considering that MtFs identify with women, this is in line with evidence for estradiol enhancing right hemispheric functioning in women (Bayer & Hausmann, 2009; Hausmann, Becker, Gather, & Gunturkun, 2002; Weis et al., 2008) in regions involved in the fronto‐parietal network (Saletu et al., 2005). Even low doses of estradiol facilitate the functioning of brain regions involved in visual perception and attentional processes (Stevens, Clark, & Prestwood, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Male‐to‐female gender dysphoria: Gender‐specific differences in resting‐state networks

et al. 2017

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IntroductionRecent research found gender‐related differences in resting‐state functional connectivity (rs‐FC) measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). To the best of our knowledge, there are no studies examining the differences in rs‐FC between men, women, and individuals who report a discrepancy between their anatomical sex and their gender identity, i.e. gender dysphoria (GD).MethodsTo address this important issue, we present the first fMRI study systematically investigating the differences in typical resting‐state networks (RSNs) and hormonal treatment effects in 26 male‐to‐female GD individuals (MtFs) compared with 19 men and 20 women.ResultsDifferences between male and female control groups were found only in the auditory RSN, whereas differences between both control groups and MtFs were found in the auditory and fronto‐parietal RSNs, including both primary sensory areas (e.g. calcarine gyrus) and higher order cognitive areas such as the middle and posterior cingulate and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. Overall, differences in MtFs compared with men and women were more pronounced before cross‐sex hormonal treatment. Interestingly, rs‐FC between MtFs and women did not differ significantly after treatment. When comparing hormonally untreated and treated MtFs, we found differences in connectivity of the calcarine gyrus and thalamus in the context of the auditory network, as well as the inferior frontal gyrus in context of the fronto‐parietal network.ConclusionOur results provide first evidence that MtFs exhibit patterns of rs‐FC which are different from both their assigned and their aspired gender, indicating an intermediate position between the two sexes. We suggest that the present study constitutes a starting point for future research designed to clarify whether the brains of individuals with GD are more similar to their assigned or their aspired gender.

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Estradiol Modulates Functional Brain Organization during the Menstrual Cycle: An Analysis of Interhemispheric Inhibition

Cited by 122 publications

References 44 publications

Estradiol-related variations in top-down and bottom-up processes of cerebral lateralization.

Estradiol-related variations in top-down and bottom-up processes of cerebral lateralization.

Cerebral Asymmetry: A Quantitative, Multifactorial, and Plastic Brain Phenotype

Male‐to‐female gender dysphoria: Gender‐specific differences in resting‐state networks

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