Variations in sex-related cognitive abilities across the menstrual cycle

Hampson, Elizabeth

doi:10.1016/0278-2626(90)90058-v

Cited by 526 publications

(347 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Although Hampson's studies also employed a measure of letter fluency, we employed a measure of rhyme fluency that was particularly sensitive to the effects of estrogen. Our findings on the Grooved Pegboard Test replicate and extend past findings with the Purdue Pegboard test (assembly condition only), the Manual Sequence Box, and the Finger Tapping Test [18,19]. Similarly, our findings on the Mental Rotations Test extend previous findings with the Rod and Frame Test [19] and a measure of spatial ability composed of the Rod and Frame Test, Hidden Figures, and the Space Relations Test [17].…”

Section: Sexually Dimorphic Abilitiessupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Women in the present study showed enhanced verbal fluency and fine motor skill and decreased mental rotations performance during the luteal phase. Of studies examining verbal fluency across the menstrual cycle [17,18], only this one revealed a significant enhancement during the high estrogen phase. Although Hampson's studies also employed a measure of letter fluency, we employed a measure of rhyme fluency that was particularly sensitive to the effects of estrogen.…”

Section: Sexually Dimorphic Abilitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following Hampson [18,19], we created a composite fluency score by first computing z-scores for each of the three fluency measures (based on the average across the two sessions) and then averaging the three z-scores to create one composite score. As predicted, overall fluency, reflected in the composite z-score, was better during the midluteal than the follicular phase, F(1, 16)=6.46, PB 0.05.…”

Section: Fluencymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hampson [18] was the first to observe an interaction between phase order and cycle phase on a composite measure of spatial ability, largely due to one component test, Hidden Figures. As with our FOI findings, she found a significant effect of cycle phase only in an analysis of Session 1 data.…”

Section: Carryo6er Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In one study, 45 women completed a battery of cognitive tests during the early follicular and midluteal phases of the menstrual cycle [18]. The battery included 'female' tests of verbal fluency, articulation, manual coordination, and perceptual speed, as well as 'male' tests of deductive reasoning and spatial ability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Implicit memory varies across the menstrual cycle: estrogen effects in young women

2002

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Evidence that ovarian steroid hormones such as estrogen and progesterone affect cognition comes from studies of memory in older women receiving estrogen replacement therapy and studies of sexually dimorphic skills in young women across the menstrual cycle. Sixteen women (ages 18-28) completed tests of memory (implicit category exemplar generation, category-cued recall, implicit fragmented object identification) and sexually dimorphic skills (fine motor coordination, verbal fluency, mental rotations) at the early follicular (low estrogen and progesterone) and midluteal (high estrogen and progesterone) phases of the menstrual cycle. Performance on category exemplar generation, a test of conceptual implicit memory, was better at the midluteal than the follicular phase. In contrast, performance on a test of explicit memory, category-cued recall, did not vary across the menstrual cycle. At Session 1, women in the follicular phase performed better on the fragmented object identification task than did those in the midluteal phase. This unexpected finding suggests that high levels of ovarian hormones might inhibit perceptual object priming. Results confirmed previous reports of decreased mental rotations and improved motor skills and fluency in the midluteal phase. Estradiol levels correlated positively with verbal fluency and negatively with mental rotations and perceptual priming, which suggest that estrogen, and not progesterone, was responsible for the observed changes in cognition. Mood did not vary across the cycle phases. Overall, the findings suggest that estrogen may facilitate the automatic activation of verbal representations in memory.

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Section: Sexually Dimorphic Abilitiessupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Sexually Dimorphic Abilitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fluencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Carryo6er Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Implicit memory varies across the menstrual cycle: estrogen effects in young women

2002

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Effect of Estrogen on Brain Activation Patterns in Postmenopausal Women During Working Memory Tasks

Shaywitz

Shaywitz²,

Pugh³

et al. 1999

JAMA

393

193

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ENOPAUSE REPRESENTS, perhaps, the single most influential biological or health-related event for most middle-aged women, and it is estimated that the average woman will spend at least half of her adult life with decreased levels of circulating estrogen. 1,2 Decisions concerning hormone replacement therapy represent major concerns for postmenopausal women. Declining estrogen levels characterize menopause with effects on a range of systems including, in addition to the reproductive system, the cardiovascular and skeletal systems. 3 Furthermore, there is evidence that estrogen affects basic neural processes in mature animals. 4 Estrogen has also been shown to affect cognitive function in animals, for example, improving working memory in rats. 5 Observational studies and clinical trials have examined the influence of estrogen on cognitive function, particu

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Ovarian steroidal control of connectivity in the female hippocampus: An overview of recent experimental findings and speculations on its functional consequences

Desmond¹,

Levy²

1997

Hippocampus

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Variations in sex-related cognitive abilities across the menstrual cycle

Cited by 526 publications

References 35 publications

Implicit memory varies across the menstrual cycle: estrogen effects in young women

Implicit memory varies across the menstrual cycle: estrogen effects in young women

Effect of Estrogen on Brain Activation Patterns in Postmenopausal Women During Working Memory Tasks

Ovarian steroidal control of connectivity in the female hippocampus: An overview of recent experimental findings and speculations on its functional consequences

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