Exogenous estradiol modulates entorhinal cortex contributions to episodic encoding of conditioned threat in women.

ABSTRACT: Estradiol (E2) positively influences memory facilitation effects in older women and rodent models by targeting key memory-related brain regions. However, the impacts of E2 on emotional memory processes in younger women are less clear. As women are twice as likely as men to develop trauma related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it is important to understand how hormones like E2 might impact threat memory mechanisms. Using a randomized, double-blinded, cross-over design, we administered transdermal E2 or placebo to 45 naturally-cycling, Black women (18-35 years) with a range of trauma-related symptoms during the early luteal (low endogenous E2) phase of their cycles. The following day, participants underwent a categorical threat conditioning paradigm during fMRI recor

SUBMITTER: Oliver KI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12687374 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature