The application of positron emission tomography to the study of the normal menstrual cycle

Abstract

Positron emission tomography (PET) was used to investigate regions of the brain that are selectively affected during different phases of the normal menstrual cycle. A total of 10 healthy 18-29 year old female volunteers had PET measurements of brain glucose metabolism between days 5 and 9 of the follicular phase when plasma concentrations of oestradiol and progesterone were relatively low and between days 5 and 8 of the luteal phase when plasma concentrations of oestradiol and progesterone were relatively high. Automated algorithms were used to align the PET images in each individual, transform them into the coordinates of a brain atlas, control for variations in whole brain measurements and compute t-score maps of phase-related differences in regional glucose metabolism. The mid-follicular phase was associated with significantly higher glucose metabolism in thalamic, prefrontal, temporoparietal and inferior temporal regions. The mid-luteal phase was associated with significantly higher glucose metabolism in superior temporal, anterior temporal, occipital, cerebellar, cingulate and anterior insular regions. While this study should be considered to be exploratory, it provides normative data for future studies and illustrates how PET can be used to help characterize relationships between phases of the female life cycle, temporally related disorders and local functions of the living human brain.

Hippocampal volume and functional connectivity changes during the female menstrual cycle

“…The only other region showing GM volume increase from early to late follicular phase was the thalamus. Thalamic volume and glucose metabolism change across the human menstrual cycle were also reported by previous neuroimaging studies (Protopopescu et al, 2008;Reiman et al, 1996;Tu et al, 2013), and might be negatively related to menstrual pain (Tu et al, 2013).…”

Electrical Stimulation of Rat Medial Prefrontal Cortex Enhances Forebrain Serotonin Output Implications for Electroconvulsive Therapy and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Depression

“…It was suggested that one of the core symptoms of depression, namely, motor and affective apathy, is related specifically to dysfunctions of the medial PFC (Cummings 1995;Saint-Cyr et al 1995). This is supported by positron emission tomography (PET) studies in healthy subjects demonstrating that medial PFC is involved in the regulation of mood and emotions (Reiman 1997).…”

Evolving Knowledge of Sex Differences in Brain Structure, Function, and Chemistry

“…However, global CMRglu may be inversely correlated with brain size such that individuals with smaller brains have higher CMRglu (48;51), effectively negating sex differences in metabolism. Regional CMRglu varied significantly with menstrual cycle phase suggesting that there are acute hormonal effects on brain glucose metabolism (52). These findings cast doubt on the interpretations of studies that did not control for menstrual cycle phase or hormone levels and highlight the importance for future studies to control biological parameters known to affect cerebral blood flow, such as the menstrual cycle.…”