Menstrual cycle-driven hormone concentrations co-fluctuate with white and gray matter architecture changes across the whole brain.

ABSTRACT: Cyclic fluctuations in hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG-axis) hormones exert powerful behavioral, structural, and functional effects through actions on the mammalian central nervous system. Yet, very little is known about how these fluctuations alter the structural nodes and information highways of the human brain. In a study of 30 naturally cycling women, we employed multidimensional diffusion and T₁-weighted imaging during three estimated menstrual cycle phases (menses, ovulation, and mid-luteal) to investigate whether HPG-axis hormone concentrations co-fluctuate with alterations in white matter (WM) microstructure, cortical thickness (CT), and brain volume. Across the whole brain, 17β-estradiol and luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations were directly proportional to

SUBMITTER: Rizor EJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11258887 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature