Natural and synthetic sex hormones: Effects on higher-order cognitive function and prepulse inhibition
Abstract
Little is known about the effects of the commonly-used oral contraceptive pill (OC) on cognition. This study compared matched healthy women across the menstrual cycle (early-follicular 'Low E/P', mid-luteal 'High E/P'), women using the combined OC, and men. The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) was used to assess immediate and delayed memory, visuospatial ability, language and attention. Assessment of prepulse inhibition (PPI) included 21 pulse-alone trials (115dB) and 42 prepulse-pulse trials (74, 78, 86dB). The OC and High E/P groups outperformed men on the total RBANS score, an overall measure of cognition. For the immediate memory/learning and attention domains, the OC group outperformed men; for the delayed memory domain, the OC and High E/P groups outperformed men. In conclusion, high levels of natural or synthetic sex hormones had a positive effect on higher-order cognition but had little effect on baseline PPI.
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Higher estradiol and progesterone are generally associated with better executive function and attention.
“Higher estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) have been generally linked to enhanced executive function (EF) and attention (e.g., Hatta & Nagaya, 2009), which appear to improve during cycle phases characterized by elevated E2 and P4 (Gogos, 2013; Howard et al., 1988; Jacobs & D’Esposito, 2011; Lord & Taylor, 1991; Rosenberg & Park, 2002; Segal, 2012; Vranic´ & Hromatko, 2008; Solís-Ortiz & Corsi-Cab”
From Reproductive steroids and ADHD symptoms across the menstrual cycle (2018) · cites this paper as Gogos, 2013
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Effects of hormonal contraceptives on mental rotation and verbal fluency
Griksiene, R., & Ruksenas, O. (2011) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.03.001 · Cited by 128 · cited 1× · see citing works
“dependent on the type of progestin used in the OC (Griksiene and Ruksenas, 2011), whereby”
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Reproductive steroids and ADHD symptoms across the menstrual cycle
Roberts, B., Eisenlohr-Moul, T., & Martel, M. M. (2018) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.11.015 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Sex/gender differences in cognitive abilities
Kheloui, S., Jacmin-Park, S., Larocque, O., Kerr, P., Rossi, M., Cartier, L., & Juster, R.-P. (2023) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105333 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Eisenlohr-Moul, T. A., DeWall, C. N., Girdler, S. S., & Segerstrom, S. C. (2015) · Biological Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.03.016 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
- Authors
- Gogos, A.
- Affiliations
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Gogos, Andrea
- ORCID
- Gogos, Andrea
- Venue
- Biological Psychology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2013-04
- Volume
- 93
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 17-23
- ISSN
- 0301-0511 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2016185968
- Cited by
- 78
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 3
- FWCI
- 4.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Biological Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Minerva Access (University of Melbourne) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Health and Medical Research Council
- National Medical Research Council
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Reproductive Health and Contraception
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Estrogen and related hormone effects
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Menopause: Health Impacts and Treatments
- Keywords
- oral contraceptives, sex hormones, prepulse inhibition, cognitive function, menstrual cycle, estradiol, progesterone, sex differences, memory, attention, visuospatial ability, language
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Attention, Cognition, Contraceptives, Oral, Combined, Cross-Sectional Studies, Electromyography, Female, Humans, Language, Male, Memory, Menstrual Cycle, Neuropsychological Tests
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