Cited by 567Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesNeuroendocrine regulation and behavior

Menstrual cycle phase modulates reward-related neural function in women

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Dreher, Jean-Claude, Schmidt, Peter J., Kohn, Philip, Furman, Daniella, Rubinow, David, Berman, Karen Faith·2007·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Abstract

There is considerable evidence from animal studies that the mesolimbic and mesocortical dopamine systems are sensitive to circulating gonadal steroid hormones. Less is known about the influence of estrogen and progesterone on the human reward system. To investigate this directly, we used functional MRI and an event-related monetary reward paradigm to study women with a repeated-measures, counterbalanced design across the menstrual cycle. Here we show that during the midfollicular phase (days 4-8 after onset of menses) women anticipating uncertain rewards activated the orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala more than during the luteal phase (6-10 days after luteinizing hormone surge). At the time of reward delivery, women in the follicular phase activated the midbrain, striatum, and left fronto-polar cortex more than during the luteal phase. These data demonstrate augmented reactivity of the reward system in women during the midfollicular phase when estrogen is unopposed by progesterone. Moreover, investigation of between-sex differences revealed that men activated ventral putamen more than women during anticipation of uncertain rewards, whereas women more strongly activated the anterior medial prefrontal cortex at the time of reward delivery. Correlation between brain activity and gonadal steroid levels also revealed that the amygdalo-hippocampal complex was positively correlated with estradiol level, regardless of menstrual cycle phase. Together, our findings provide evidence of neurofunctional modulation of the reward system by gonadal steroid hormones in humans and establish a neurobiological foundation for understanding their impact on vulnerability to drug abuse, neuropsychiatric diseases with differential expression across males and females, and hormonally mediated mood disorders.

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Crossref · 10.1073/pnas.0605569104

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Authors
Dreher, J.-C., Schmidt, P. J., Kohn, P., Furman, D., Rubinow, D., & Berman, K. F.
Affiliations
National Institutes of Health (US)
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2007-02-13
Volume
104
Issue
7
Pages
2465-2470
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
OpenAlex
W1983292996
Cited by
567
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 44 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 35 · 2017: 30 · 2016: 31 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 42 · 2013: 31 · 2012: 29
FWCI
12.21
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion)
Funders
National Institutes of Health
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
Keywords
menstrual cycle, reward processing, sex steroids, estrogen, progesterone, mesolimbic dopamine system, mesocortical dopamine system, orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, striatum, midbrain, ventral putamen, anterior medial prefrontal cortex, estradiol, sex differences, uncertainty, monetary rewards, drug abuse vulnerability, mood disorders
MeSH terms
Adult, Brain, Estrogens, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Menstrual Cycle, Neurons, Progesterone, Reward, Sex Factors

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