Oral contraceptive pill use and menstrual cycle phase are associated with altered resting state functional connectivity.

ABSTRACT: At rest, brain activity can be characterized not by an absence of organized activity but instead by spatially and temporally correlated patterns of activity. In this experiment, we investigated whether and to what extent resting state functional connectivity is modulated by sex hormones in women, both across the menstrual cycle and when altered by oral contraceptive pills. Sex hormones have been shown to have important effects on task-related activity, but few studies have investigated the extent to which they can influence the behavior of functional networks at rest. These hormones are dramatically altered by the use of hormonal contraception, which is used by approximately 100 million women worldwide. However, potential cognitive side effects of hormonal contraception have been given lit

SUBMITTER: Petersen N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4113343 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature