The DOI matches its Crossref record; 131 of the 133 references it cites were found in a registry or an index, and 2 are not checked yet.
Menstrual cycle influence on cognitive function and emotion processing—from a reproductive perspective
Open accessAbstract
The menstrual cycle has attracted research interest ever since the 1930s. For many researchers the menstrual cycle is an excellent model of ovarian steroid influence on emotion, behavior, and cognition. Over the past years methodological improvements in menstrual cycle studies have been noted, and this review summarizes the findings of methodologically sound menstrual cycle studies in healthy women. Whereas the predominant hypotheses of the cognitive field state that sexually dimorphic cognitive skills that favor men are improved during menstrual cycle phases with low estrogen and that cognitive skills that favor women are improved during cycle phases with increased estrogen and/or progesterone, this review has not found sufficient evidence to support any of these hypotheses. Mental rotation has gained specific interest in this aspect, but a meta-analysis yielded a standardized mean difference in error rate of 1.61 (95% CI -0.35 to 3.57), suggesting, at present, no favor of an early follicular phase improvement in mental rotation performance. Besides the sexually dimorphic cognitive skills, studies exploring menstrual cycle effects on tasks that probe prefrontal cortex function, for instance verbal or spatial working memory, have also been reviewed. While studies thus far are few, results at hand suggest improved performance at times of high estradiol levels. Menstrual cycle studies on emotional processing, on the other hand, tap into the emotional disorders of the luteal phase, and may be of relevance for women with premenstrual disorders. Although evidence at present is limited, it is suggested that emotion recognition, consolidation of emotional memories, and fear extinction is modulated by the menstrual cycle in women. With the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging, several studies report changes in brain reactivity across the menstrual cycle, most notably increased amygdala reactivity in the luteal phase. Thus, to the extent that behavioral changes have been demonstrated over the course of the menstrual cycle, the best evidence suggests that differences in sexually dimorphic tasks are small and difficult to replicate. However, emotion-related changes are more consistently found, and are better associated with progesterone than with estradiol such that high progesterone levels are associated with increased amygdala reactivity and increased emotional memory.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Figures
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“The results are in line with the conclusions of researchers who argued that cognitive performance does not change throughout the cycle [10,28–32,34].”
From Menstrual cycle effects on cognitive performance: A meta-analysis (2025) · cites this paper as [34]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“one prior meta-analysis that examined a narrow set of cognitions using similar methods (mental rotation tasks) also did not find significant cycle differences [34].”
From Menstrual cycle effects on cognitive performance: A meta-analysis (2025) · cites this paper as [34]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Sample sizes are typically small [27,34], which limits generalizability of any one study.”
From Menstrual cycle effects on cognitive performance: A meta-analysis (2025) · cites this paper as [34]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
(2004) · Fertility and Sterility · doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2003.10.004 · Cited by 9,050
LeDoux, J. E. (2000) · Annual Review of Neuroscience · doi:10.1146/annurev.neuro.23.1.155 · Cited by 8,444
Emergence and Characterization of Sex Differences in Spatial Ability: A Meta-Analysis
Linn, M. C., & Petersen, A. C. (1985) · Child Development · doi:10.2307/1130467 · Cited by 3,234 · cited 1×
“Besides mental rotation, spatial tests can also broadly be categorized into tasks that evaluate spatial perception and spatial visualization, and among the latter navigation tests and object location test are included (Linn and Petersen, 1985).”
BackgroundSerotonin transporter genetic variation and the response of the human amygdala.
Hariri, A. R., Mattay, V. S., Tessitore, A., Kolachana, B., Fera, F., Goldman, D., Egan, M. F., & Weinberger, D. R. (2002) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1071829 · Cited by 2,340 · cited 1×
“This is in parallel to the increased emotion-induced amygdala reactivity found in non-depressed, non-anxious healthy carriers of the short version of the serotonin transporter promoter length polymorphism (Hariri et al., 2002; Fakra et al., 2009).”
BackgroundMen at risk: occupation and male infertility.
Claman, P. (2004) · Fertility and Sterility · doi:10.1016/s0015-0282(03)01188-9 · Cited by 2,219
Kessler, R. (1993) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/0165-0327(93)90026-g · Cited by 2,207
The Neurocircuitry of Fear, Stress, and Anxiety Disorders
Shin, L. M., & Liberzon, I. (2010) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/npp.2009.83 · Cited by 2,083 · cited 1×
“Being one of the core structures in the fear network (Shin and Liberzon, 2010) the sensitivity in the amygdala to changes in ovarian steroid hormones across the menstrual cycle fits nicely with the increased susceptibility to anxiety and depressive symptoms in the luteal phase.”
BackgroundKirschbaum, C., Kudielka, B. M., Gaab, J., Schommer, N. C., & Hellhammer, D. H. (1999) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/00006842-199903000-00006 · Cited by 1,890
The Angular Gyrus: Multiple Functions and Multiple Subdivisions
Seghier, M. L. (2013) · The Neuroscientist · doi:10.1177/1073858412440596 · Cited by 1,585 · cited 1×
“Angular gyrus is involved not only in verbal processing but also in spatial judgment (Chen et al., 2012; Seghier, 2013) and according to the authors, the increased reactivity may reflect an increased need to recruit this area to solve the task at hand during the luteal phase (Schoning et al., 2007;…”
BackgroundProduction and Actions of Estrogens
Gruber, C. J., Tschugguel, W., Schneeberger, C., & Huber, J. C. (2002) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejmra000471 · Cited by 1,091 · cited 1×
“…estradiol receptors (ERα and ERβ) and the progesterone receptors (PRA and PRB) are highly expressed in brain areas associated with reproduction, cognitive function, and emotional processing such as the hypothalamus and the limbic system (for review, see Gruber et al., 2002; Brinton et al., 2008).”
Background
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- 2010, Clinical Gynecologic Endocrinology and Infertility
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Estrogen, Stress, and Depression: Cognitive and Biological Interactions
Albert, K. M., & NEWHOUSE, P. A. (2019) · Annual Review of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050718-095557 · Cited by 373
Kundaković, M., & Rocks, D. (2022) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2022.101010 · Cited by 356
“…dynamically impact female brain morphology (Dubol et al., 2021; Woolley et al., 1990), function (Albert et al., 2015; Marrocco and McEwen, 2016; Sundstrom Poromaa and Gingnell, 2014), and neurochemistry (Barth et al., 2015), and are likely contributors to female-specific risks for…”
Toffoletto, S., Lanzenberger, R. R., Gingnell, M., Poromaa, I. S., & Comasco, E. (2014) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.07.025 · Cited by 331
“…emotional and cognitive processes. owever, there seems to be a scarcity of evidences from ehavioral studies toward hypothesized menstrual cycle nd oral contraceptives influences on emotion recognition, onsolidation of emotional memories, and fear extinction Sundström-Poromaa and Gingnell, 2014).”
InfluentialSelf-citationSex differences in the circadian regulation of sleep and waking cognition in humans
Santhi, N., Lázár, A. S., McCabe, P. J., Lo, J. C.-Y., Groeger, J. A., & Dijk, D. (2016) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1521637113 · Cited by 290
“Attentional processing, integration of emotion, response to reward, and performance in spatial tasks are all affected by the menstrual phase (57).”
Lonsdorf, T. B., & Merz, C. J. (2017) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.07.007 · Cited by 253
“In addition to the biological sex, different levels of sex (or gonadal) hormones occur over the course of the menstrual cycle in females, which has been shown to exert a pronounced impact on cognitive and affective processing (Sundström Poromaa and Gingnell, 2014; Toffoletto et al., 2014).”
BackgroundSteroid Hormones and Their Action in Women's Brains: The Importance of Hormonal Balance
Río, J. P. D., Alliende, M. I., Molina, N., Serrano, F. G., Molina, S., & Pilar Vigil, P. (2018) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2018.00141 · Cited by 235
“In addition, endogenous estrogen and progesterone levels also may affect different cognitive processes such as decision-making, emotion recognition, consolidation of emotional memory, and fear extinction (21, 22).”
BackgroundNeuroimaging the menstrual cycle: A multimodal systematic review
Dubol, M., Epperson, C. N., Sacher, J., Pletzer, B. A., Derntl, B., Lanzenberger, R. R., Poromaa, I. S., & Comasco, E. (2020) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2020.100878 · Cited by 204
Duarte‐Guterman, P., Yagi, S., Chow, C., & Galea, L. A. M. (2015) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.05.024 · Cited by 211
What did you do yesterday? A meta-analysis of sex differences in episodic memory.
Asperholm, M., Högman, N., Rafi, J., & Herlitz, A. (2019) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/bul0000197 · Cited by 182
Lundin, C., Gemzell‐Danielsson, K., Bixo, M., Moby, L., Bengtsdotter, H., Jawad, I., Marions, L., Brynhildsen, J., Malmborg, A., Lindh, I., et al. (2016) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.11.033 · Cited by 167
Gurvich, C., Hoy, K., Thomas, N., & Kulkarni, J. (2018) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci8090163 · Cited by 150
“In their comprehensive review of the topic, Sundstrom Poromaa [43] identified 13 studies that assessed verbal abilities in relation to cycle phase, of which no consistent pattern could be identified in the results.”
BackgroundExecutive functions predict verbal fluency scores in healthy participants
Amunts, J., Camilleri, J. A., Eickhoff, S. B., Heim, S., & Weis, S. (2020) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-65525-9 · Cited by 153
How Oral Contraceptives Impact Social-Emotional Behavior and Brain Function
Montoya, E. R., & Bos, P. A. (2017) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2016.11.005 · Cited by 145
Cognition, The Menstrual Cycle, and Premenstrual Disorders: A Review
Le, J., Thomas, N., & Gurvich, C. (2020) · Brain Science · doi:10.3390/brainsci10040198 · Cited by 126
“Sundström-Poromma and Gingnell’s comprehensive review in 2014 [11] of menstrual cycle studies in cognition concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support the hypothesis that male-favoring cognitive tasks would be improved in the follicular phase.”
BackgroundInfluentialSchmalenberger, K., Eisenlohr-Moul, T., Würth, L., Schneider, E., Thayer, J., Ditzen, B., & Jarczok, M. (2019) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm8111946 · Cited by 104
“E2 and P4 affect a wide array of brain functions, including emotional processing and cognitive functioning [35], mediated through the high density of E2 and P4 receptors in brain areas, such as the hypothalamus, limbic system and prefrontal cortex [36–38].”
BackgroundPletzer, B., Harris, T.-A., Scheuringer, A., & Hidalgo-Lopez, E. (2019) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/s41386-019-0435-3 · Cited by 118
Estrus-Cycle Regulation of Cortical Inhibition
Clemens, A. M., Lenschow, C., Beed, P. S., Li, L., Sammons, R. P., Naumann, R. K., Wang, H., Schmitz, D., & Brecht, M. (2019) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2019.01.045 · Cited by 116
Why the estrous cycle matters for neuroscience
Rocks, D., Cham, H., & Kundaković, M. (2022) · Biology of Sex Differences · doi:10.1186/s13293-022-00466-8 · Cited by 115
Estrogen- and progesterone-mediated structural neuroplasticity in women: evidence from neuroimaging
Catenaccio, E., Mu, W., & Lipton, M. L. (2016) · Brain Structure and Function · doi:10.1007/s00429-016-1197-x · Cited by 123
“We would therefore expect verbal and visuospatial memory performance would improve during the follicular phase compared with the luteal phase; there is some evidence from functional and cognitive studies that this is the case (Rosenberg and Park 2002; Sundstrom Poromaa and Gingnell 2014).”
Chromatin organization in the female mouse brain fluctuates across the oestrous cycle
Jarić, I., Rocks, D., Greally, J. M., Suzuki, M., & Kundaković, M. (2019) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-019-10704-0 · Cited by 102
Dubey, N., Hoffman, J. F., Schuebel, K., Yuan, Q., Martinez, P. E., Nieman, L. K., Rubinow, D. R., Schmidt, P. J., & Goldman, D. A. (2017) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/mp.2016.229 · Cited by 104
Sex differences in depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period
Sundström Poromaa, I., Comasco, E., Georgakis, M. K., & Skalkidou, A. (2017) · Journal of Neuroscience Research · doi:10.1002/jnr.23859 · Cited by 96
Sex differences in effective fronto-limbic connectivity during negative emotion processing
Lungu, O., Potvin, S., Tikàsz, A., & Mendrek, A. (2015) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.08.012 · Cited by 96
“…role socialization, as many studies report a link between emotional processing and testosterone (Bos et al., 2013; Stevens and Hamann, 2012),estrogen, progesterone(Sundstrom Poromaa and Gingnell, 2014; Toffoletto et al., 2014), andmasculine/feminine traits(Sundstrom Poromaa and Gingnell, 2014).”
Amygdala subnuclei resting-state functional connectivity sex and estrogen differences
Engman, J., Linnman, C., Van Dijk, K. R. A., & Milad, M. R. (2016) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.09.012 · Cited by 89
Subcortical structural changes along the menstrual cycle: beyond the hippocampus
Pletzer, B. A., Harris, T., & Hidalgo‐Lopez, E. (2018) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-018-34247-4 · Cited by 86
Epigenetic mechanisms underlying sex differences in the brain and behavior
Kundaković, M., & Tickerhoof, M. C. (2023) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/j.tins.2023.09.007 · Cited by 93
Wout‐Frank, M. V. ‘., Longo, S. M., Reddy, M. K., Philip, N. S., Bowker, M., & Greenberg, B. D. (2017) · Brain and Behavior · doi:10.1002/brb3.681 · Cited by 91
“Inclusion criteria were clinician- based diagnosis of warzone- related PTSD, age 18–70, male sex to avoid confounding issues of menstrual cycle, and hormonal contraceptives on fear conditioning (Glover et al., 2012; Graham & Milad, 2013; Lebron- Milad & Milad, 2012; Milad et al., 2006; Sundström Poromaa & Gingnell, 20…”
BackgroundGoshvarpour, A., & Goshvarpour, A. (2018) · Cognitive Neurodynamics · doi:10.1007/s11571-018-9516-y · Cited by 77
Effects of sex and gonadectomy on social investigation and social recognition in mice
Karlsson, S. A., Haziri, K., Hansson, E., Kettunen, P., & Westberg, L. (2015) · BMC Neuroscience · doi:10.1186/s12868-015-0221-z · Cited by 72
“Already some few studies using animal models of autism have considered sex and gonadal status in their design, and hence found them to be important for social interest [42, 43].”
BackgroundNeuroimaging the Menstrual Cycle and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
Comasco, E., & Poromaa, I. S. (2015) · Current Psychiatry Reports · doi:10.1007/s11920-015-0619-4 · Cited by 75
Scheuringer, A., & Pletzer, B. A. (2017) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00381 · Cited by 66
The Menstrual Cycle Influences Emotion but Has Limited Effect on Cognitive Function
Poromaa, I. S. (2018) · Vitamins and hormones · doi:10.1016/bs.vh.2018.01.016 · Cited by 76
Schmalenberger, K. M., Eisenlohr-Moul, T. A., Jarczok, M. N., Eckstein, M., Schneider, E., Brenner, I., Duffy, K., Schweizer, S., Kiesner, J., Thayer, J. F., et al. (2020) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm9030617 · Cited by 79
“These non-genomic mechanisms generally refer to the metabolism of P4 to neuroactive steroids, of which allopregnanolone (ALLO) and pregnanolone are among the two most studied [48].”
BackgroundHidalgo‐Lopez, E., & Pletzer, B. A. (2017) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2017.00403 · Cited by 72
“Some of the discrepant results may be explained by the lack of methodological standardization regarding the timing of assessment, confirmation of cycle phase apart from selfreports, or use of biological samples, among others (Sacher et al., 2013; Sundström Poromaa and Gingnell, 2014).”
BackgroundHidalgo‐Lopez, E., Mueller, K., Harris, T., Aichhorn, M., Sacher, J., & Pletzer, B. A. (2020) · Brain Structure and Function · doi:10.1007/s00429-019-02019-z · Cited by 69
Jett, S., Schelbaum, E., Jang, G., Boneu, C., Dyke, J. P., Pahlajani, S. S., Brinton, R. D., & Mosconi, L. (2022) · Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnagi.2022.948219 · Cited by 66
Diekhof, E. K., & Ratnayake, M. (2015) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.10.016 · Cited by 65
“In that way our data add to the growing number of studies assessing the influence of female reproductive hormones on cognition and the associated brain mechanisms (Sakaki and Mather, 2012; Toffoletto et al., 2014; see also Sundström Poromaa & Gingnell, 2014 for review).”
Hussain, D., Hanafi, S., Konishi, K., Brake, W., & Bohbot, V. (2016) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.05.008 · Cited by 61
“24, 385–396. omasco, E., Frokjaer, V.G., Sundström Poromaa, I., 2014.”
BackgroundInfluentialEngman, J., Poromaa, I. S., Moby, L., Wikström, J., Fredrikson, M., & Gingnell, M. (2017) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/npp.2017.157 · Cited by 60
“…luteal phase also comes with many bodily changes that the salience network is well equipped to detect, whereas the hippocampal formation has been associated with verbal memory (Sundström Poromaa and Gingnell, 2014), a cognitive function that does appear to be linked to hormones (Nolte, 2009).”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationEstrogen and calcium handling proteins: new discoveries and mechanisms in cardiovascular diseases
Jiao, L., Machuki, J. O., Wu, Q., Shi, M., Fu, L., Adekunle, A. O., Tao, X., Xu, C., Hu, X., Yin, Z., et al. (2020) · American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology · doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00734.2019 · Cited by 64
Iordan, A. D., & Dolcos, F. (2015) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhv242 · Cited by 75
Hormonal Contraception and Depression: Updated Evidence and Implications in Clinical Practice
Fruzzetti, F., & Fidecicchi, T. (2020) · Clinical Drug Investigation · doi:10.1007/s40261-020-00966-8 · Cited by 67
“Drospirenone has also been studied for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome and PMDD, considering its positive effect on mood also when administered with an extended regimen [70, 71].”
BackgroundInfluentialHormonal Influences on Cognitive Function
Ali, S. A., Begum, T., & Reza, F. (2018) · Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences · doi:10.21315/mjms2018.25.4.3 · Cited by 70
Mehta, K. J. (2022) · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · doi:10.1057/s41599-021-01031-1 · Cited by 72
Multimodal Affective State Assessment Using fNIRS + EEG and Spontaneous Facial Expression
Sun, Y., Ayaz, H., & Akansu, A. N. (2020) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci10020085 · Cited by 59
Ovarian hormones, sleep and cognition across the adult female lifespan: An integrated perspective
Gervais, N. J., Mong, J. A., & Agnès Lacreuse, A. (2017) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2017.08.002 · Cited by 59
“…2004 OVX rats Intra-HPC E2 > Vehicle Zurkovsky et al., 2007 Verbal memory Humans Premenopause Inconsistent reports, or F = L = Menses As reviewed by Poromaa & Gingnell, 2014 Premenopause GnRHa < cycling Craig et al., 2008 GnRHa = cycling Guerrieri et al., 2016; Owens et al., 2002 Front…”
BackgroundMethodSyan, S. K., Minuzzi, L., Costescu, D., Smith, M., Allega, O. R., Coote, M., Hall, G. B., & Frey, B. N. (2017) · Fertility and Sterility · doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2017.03.021 · Cited by 58
Chrismas, B. C. R., Taylor, L. K., Cherif, A., Sayegh, S., & Bailey, D. P. (2019) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0219565 · Cited by 57
Emotion Reactivity Is Increased 4-6 Weeks Postpartum in Healthy Women: A Longitudinal fMRI Study
Gingnell, M., Bannbers, E., Moes, H. R., Engman, J., Sylvén, S. M., Skalkidou, A., Kask, K., Wikström, J., & Poromaa, I. S. (2015) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0128964 · Cited by 58
Self-citationSex Hormones and Gender Role Relate to Gray Matter Volumes in Sexually Dimorphic Brain Areas
Pletzer, B. A. (2019) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2019.00592 · Cited by 55
Niering, M., Wolf-Belala, N., Seifert, J., Tovar, O., Coldewey, J., Kuranda, J., & Muehlbauer, T. (2024) · Sports · doi:10.3390/sports12010031 · Cited by 76
“Although the influence of menstrual cycle phases encompasses many areas of Sports 2024 , 12 , 31 2 of 22 physical and mental health [4], strength performance emerges as the most significant for adolescent and adult athletes [5,6].”
BackgroundPletzer, B. A., Crone, J. S., Kronbichler, M., & Kerschbaum, H. (2016) · Brain Connectivity · doi:10.1089/brain.2015.0407 · Cited by 54
“A n increasing number of studies have focused on menstrual cycle-dependent changes in cognitive tasks (see Sundstrom Poromaa and Gingnell, 2014, for a recent review) with a smaller number of studies investigating oral contraceptive-dependent cognitive changes (see Pletzer and Kerschbaum, 2014, for…”
Hidalgo‐Lopez, E., Zeidman, P., Harris, T., Razi, A., & Pletzer, B. A. (2021) · Communications Biology · doi:10.1038/s42003-021-02447-w · Cited by 55
Sex and menstrual cycle influences on three aspects of attention
Pletzer, B., Harris, T., & Ortner, T. (2017) · Physiology and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.07.012 · Cited by 45
Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MEDI-Q): a new tool to assess menstruation-related distress
Vannuccini, S., Rossi, E., Cassioli, E., Cirone, D., Castellini, G., Ricca, V., & Petraglia, F. (2021) · Reproductive BioMedicine Online · doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2021.08.029 · Cited by 49
Hillerer, K. M., Slattery, D. A., & Pletzer, B. A. (2019) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.100796 · Cited by 49
Sex differences in cognition and aging and the influence of sex hormones
Gurvich, C., Thomas, N., & Kulkarni, J. (2020) · Handbook of clinical neurology · doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-64123-6.00008-4 · Cited by 47
Leeners, B., Kruger, T. H., Geraedts, K., Tronci, E., Mancini, T., Ille, F., Egli, M., Röblitz, S., Saleh, L., Spanaus, K., et al. (2017) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00120 · Cited by 54
Nguyen, T., Reuter, J. M., Gaikwad, N. W., Rotroff, D. M., Kucera, H. R., Motsinger‐Reif, A. A., Smith, C., Nieman, L. K., Rubinow, D. R., Kaddurah‐Daouk, R., et al. (2017) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/tp.2017.146 · Cited by 47
Sex Hormones and Processing of Facial Expressions of Emotion: A Systematic Literature Review
Osório, F. D. L., Cassis, J. M. D. P., de Sousa, J. P. M., Poli‐Neto, O. B., & Martín‐Santos, R. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00529 · Cited by 50
“%) presented some information regarding the hormonal components of the oral contraceptives used, which has been described as a positive methodological factor (Poromaa and Gingnell, 2014).”
BackgroundInfluentialHippocampus‐based behavioral, structural, and molecular dynamics across the estrous cycle
Rocks, D., & Kundaković, M. (2022) · Journal of Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1111/jne.13216 · Cited by 44
Leidy, H. J., Todd, C. B., Zino, A. Z., Immel, J. E., Mukherjea, R., Shafer, R., Ortinau, L. C., & Braun, M. M. (2015) · Journal of Nutrition · doi:10.3945/jn.115.212092 · Cited by 44
“Because there is some data supporting the effects of menstrual cycle on cognition, mood, and intake (44, 45), it is possible that the effects of snacking on these outcomes may have been influenced by the specific phase that the females were on at the time of the testing days.”
BackgroundRångtell, F. H., Karamchedu, S., Andersson, P. S. G., Liethof, L., Búcaro, M. O., Lampola, L., Schiöth, H. B., Cedernaes, J., & Benedict, C. (2018) · Journal of Sleep Research · doi:10.1111/jsr.12651 · Cited by 43
“Given that menstrual cycle fluctuations have been linked to variations in memory performance (Hampson and Morley, 2013; Sundstr€om Poromaa and Gingnell, 2014), only women using oral monophasic contraceptives (containing progesterone and oestrogen) at the time of the study were selected for participation in the study.”
BackgroundGurvich, C., Warren, A. M., Worsley, R., Hudaib, A.-R., Thomas, N., & Kulkarni, J. (2020) · Brain Science · doi:10.3390/brainsci10040194 · Cited by 36
Mineralocorticoid receptor haplotype, estradiol, progesterone and emotional information processing
Hamstra, D. A., de Kloet, E. R., Quataert, I., Jansen, M., & van der Does, W. A. J. (2016) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.11.037 · Cited by 42
“Better performance on verbal memory, associative learning and spatial attention tasks was observed in OC-users (Gogos et al., 2014; Sundstrom Poromaa and Gingnell, 2014).”
Design and methods of the Apple Women’s Health Study: a digital longitudinal cohort study
Mahalingaiah, S., Fruh, V., Rodriguez, E., Konanki, S. C., Onnela, J.-P. “., Veiga, A. D. F., Lyons, G. R., Ahmed, R., Li, H., Gallagher, N. J., et al. (2021) · American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2021.09.041 · Cited by 42
Reactivity of alpha rhythms to eyes opening (the Berger effect) during menstrual cycle phases
Bazanova, O. M., Nikolenko, E. D., & Barry, R. J. (2017) · International Journal of Psychophysiology · doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2017.05.001 · Cited by 40
“Hormonal variations occur to a great extent during the menstrual cycle (MC), and these variations can influence emotion, behavior and cognition (see for review Sundström-Poromaa and Gingnell, 2014).”
BackgroundEffects of sex, menstrual cycle phase, and endogenous hormones on cognition in schizophrenia
Rubin, L. H., Carter, C. S., Drogos, L. L., Pournajafi‐Nazarloo, H., Sweeney, J. A., & Maki, P. M. (2015) · Schizophrenia Research · doi:10.1016/j.schres.2015.04.039 · Cited by 39
Sex Hormones, Sleep, and Memory: Interrelationships Across the Adult Female Lifespan
Harrington, Y. A., Parisi, J. M., Duan, D., Rojo‐Wissar, D. M., Holingue, C., & Spira, A. P. (2022) · Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnagi.2022.800278 · Cited by 42
Menopause, cognition and dementia – A review
Pertesi, S., Coughlan, G., Puthusseryppady, V., Morris, E., & Hornberger, M. (2019) · Post Reproductive Health · doi:10.1177/2053369119883485 · Cited by 39
“high estrogens associated with better performance.(57) • Estrogen therapy increased prefron-”
BackgroundCauchoix, M., Chaine, A. S., & Barragan‐Jason, G. (2020) · Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution · doi:10.3389/fevo.2020.00106 · Cited by 42
Brain Structure and Function in Women with Comorbid Bipolar and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
Syan, S. K., Minuzzi, L., Smith, M., Costescu, D., Allega, O. R., Hall, G. B., & Frey, B. N. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00301 · Cited by 35
“Interestingly, there is considerable overlap between regions implicated in the neurobiology of BD, those affected by PMDD (25–27) and by female sex hormones (28, 29).”
BackgroundThe Specificities of Elite Female Athletes: A Multidisciplinary Approach
Castanier, C., Bougault, V., Teulier, C., Jaffré, C., Schiano-Lomoriello, S., Vibarel-Rebot, N., Villemain, A., Rieth, N., Scanff, C. L., Buisson, C., et al. (2021) · Life · doi:10.3390/life11070622 · Cited by 44
Paulukat, L., Frintrop, L., Liesbrock, J., Heussen, N. M., Johann, S., Exner, C., Kas, M. J., Tolba, R. H., Neulen, J., Konrad, K., et al. (2016) · The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.3109/15622975.2016.1173725 · Cited by 37
“…trading as Taylor & Francis Group been associated with improved cognitive performance in recognition and spatial memory tasks linked to hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, and has been shown to enhance spine density in the hippocampus (Luine & Frankfurt 2012; Sundstr€om Poromaa & Gingnell 2014).”
BackgroundPregnancy and brain architecture: Associations with hormones, cognition and affect
Rehbein, E., Kogler, L., Kotikalapudi, R., Sattler, A., Krylova, M., Kagan, K. O., Poromaa, I. S., & Derntl, B. (2021) · Journal of Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1111/jne.13066 · Cited by 35
“50,51 In the present study, we observed significantly higher positive affect ratings in the pregnant compared to naturally cycling women.”
Impact of gender and genetics on emotion processing in Parkinson's disease - A multimodal study
Heller, J., Mirzazade, S., Romanzetti, S., Habel, U., Derntl, B., Freitag, N. M., Schulz, J. B., Dogan, I., & Reetz, K. (2018) · NeuroImage Clinical · doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2018.01.034 · Cited by 37
Ponce, P., Arco, A. D., & Loprinzi, P. D. (2019) · Medicina · doi:10.3390/medicina55050119 · Cited by 35
Judkins, T. C., Dennis-Wall, J. C., Sims, S. M., Colee, J., & Langkamp‐Henken, B. (2020) · BMC Women s Health · doi:10.1186/s12905-020-01000-x · Cited by 35
“Hormone fluctuations from the menstrual cycle influence a multitude of processes, including sensory perception [11–13], sexual desire [14], cognitive function [15], and emotional processing [15]; however, few studies have examined the relationship these hormones have with the GI system.”
BackgroundEstrogen-dependent hippocampal wiring as a risk factor for age-related dementia in women
Torromino, G., Maggi, A. C., & Leonibus, E. D. (2020) · Progress in Neurobiology · doi:10.1016/j.pneurobio.2020.101895 · Cited by 35
Sex hormones and human brain function
Hornung, J., Lewis, C. A., & Derntl, B. (2020) · Handbook of clinical neurology · doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-64123-6.00014-x · Cited by 37
GABAA Receptor-Modulating Steroids in Relation to Women’s Behavioral Health
Bäckström, T. C., Bixo, M., & Strömberg, J. (2015) · Current Psychiatry Reports · doi:10.1007/s11920-015-0627-4 · Cited by 34
van Zutphen, L., Siep, N., Jacob, G. A., Domes, G., Sprenger, A., Willenborg, B., Goebel, R., Tüscher, O., & Arntz, A. R. (2019) · Brain Imaging and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s11682-019-00161-0 · Cited by 36
Hidalgo‐Lopez, E., & Pletzer, B. A. (2020) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.105108 · Cited by 34
“For the final sample, hormone levels followed the expected pattern (Table 1) (Fehring et al., 2006; Poromaa and Gingnell, 2014).”
BackgroundThe regional effect of serum hormone levels on cerebral blood flow in healthy nonpregnant women
Cote, S. R., Butler, R., Michaud, V., Lavallée, É., Croteau, É., Mendrek, A., Lepage, J., & Whittingstall, K. (2021) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.25646 · Cited by 35
“Serum hormones were within normal ranges in all participants (Poromaa & Gingnell, 2014).”
BackgroundInfluentialHengartner, M. P., Krüger, T. H. C., Geraedts, K., Tronci, E., Mancini, T., Ille, F., Egli, M., Röblitz, S., Ehrig, R. M., Saleh, L., et al. (2017) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.05.018 · Cited by 36
“Secondly, though our sample was considerably larger than those commonly applied in neuroendocrinological research, a sample size of n > 100 would be preferable due to the substantial variance in hormone levels at given cycle phases [64].”
BackgroundThe Menstrual Cycle Alters Resting-State Cortical Activity: A Magnetoencephalography Study
Haraguchi, R., Hoshi, H., Ichikawa, S., Hanyu, M., Nakamura, K., Fukasawa, K., Poza, J., Rodríguez-González, V., Gómez, C., & Shigihara, Y. (2021) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2021.652789 · Cited by 33
“The first parameter, MF, refers to the median of the distribution represented by the PSDn (i.e., the frequency that splits the PSDn into two halves of equal power) (Poza et al., 2007).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialCook, R. L., O’Dwyer, N., Parker, H. M., Donges, C. E., Cheng, H. L., Steinbeck, K. S., Cox, E. P., Franklin, J., Garg, M. L., Rooney, K. B., et al. (2017) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu9111216 · Cited by 33
Oral contraceptives and cognition: A systematic review
Gurvich, C., Nicholls, I., Lavale, A., & Kulkarni, J. (2022) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2022.101052 · Cited by 38
Meeker, T. J., Veldhuijzen, D. S., Keaser, M. L., Gullapalli, R. P., & Greenspan, J. D. (2020) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2020.594588 · Cited by 31
“…would not only affect potential mechanisms of mate selection, but would extend to influences on cognition, emotion processing, motivation and sensitivity to disease (Kibler et al., 2005; Sundstrom Poromaa and Gingnell, 2014; Albert et al., 2015; Herzog et al., 2015; Pilarczyk et al., 2019).”
BackgroundPrado, R. C. R., Silveira, R., Kilpatrick, M. W., Pires, F. O., & Asano, R. Y. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.525943 · Cited by 32
“The MC is frequently related to a negative change in the psychological status (Costello et al., 2014; Steel et al., 2014; Sundström Poromaa and Gingnell, 2014; Sundstrom-Poromaa, 2018), mainly during the LP (Ossewaarde et al., 2010; van Wingen et al., 2011).”
BackgroundLiparoti, M., Lopez, E. T., Sarno, L., Rucco, R., Minino, R., Pesoli, M., Perruolo, G., Formisano, P., Lucidi, F., Sorrentino, G., et al. (2021) · Journal of Neuroscience Research · doi:10.1002/jnr.24898 · Cited by 28
“However, a single hormone measurement may not be sufficient to accurately determine the phase of the cycle (Becker et al., 2005; Sundström Poromaa & Gingnell, 2014).”
BackgroundSlyepchenko, A., Lokuge, S., Nicholls, B., Steiner, M. S., Hall, G. B., Soares, C. N., & Frey, B. N. (2017) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2017.01.031 · Cited by 31
Lusk, B. R., Carr, A. R., Ranson, V. A., & Felmingham, K. L. (2017) · Cognitive Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3758/s13415-017-0520-1 · Cited by 32
“Despite growing evidence regarding the relevance of sex hormones for emotional processing (for a review, see Toffoletto, Lanzenberger, Gingell, Sunderstom-Poromaa, & Comasco, 2014), previous sex differences and emotion regulation studies have typically failed to control for the influence of menstrual cycle phase.”
BackgroundInfluentialExercise and Executive Function during Follicular and Luteal Menstrual Cycle Phases
Dirk, K., Belfry, G. R., & Heath, M. D. (2019) · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · doi:10.1249/mss.0000000000002192 · Cited by 30
“Bannbers E, Gingnell M, Engman J, et al. The effect of premenstrual dysphoric disorder andmenstrual cycle phase on brain activity during response inhibition.”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialAmbrasė, A., Lewis, C. A., Barth, C., & Derntl, B. (2020) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2020.100873 · Cited by 33
Regulation of cognitive function by androgens and estrogens
Hampson, E. (2018) · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.03.002 · Cited by 33
Becegato, M. S., Meurer, Y. D. S. R., Paiva-Santos, M. A., Lima, A. C., Marinho, G. F., Bioni, V. S., Soares, M. B. L., Leão, A. H. F. F., Suchecki, D., & Silva, R. H. (2021) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113343 · Cited by 30
Gatta, E., Camussi, D., Auta, J., Guidotti, A., & Pandey, S. C. (2022) · Pharmacology & Therapeutics · doi:10.1016/j.pharmthera.2022.108299 · Cited by 28
Hao, Z., Feng, S., Zhu, Y., Yang, J., Chen, M., Hu, D., Liu, H., & Liu, H. (2020) · Acta Astronautica · doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.04.058 · Cited by 27
Progress in the Pathogenesis of Diabetic Encephalopathy: The Key Role of Neuroinflammation
Luo, Y., Zhu, J., Hu, Z., Luo, W., Du, X., Hu, H., & Peng, S. (2024) · Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews · doi:10.1002/dmrr.3841 · Cited by 29
“The research by Sundström Poromaa and Gingnell suggests that insufficient oestrogen may lead to a decrease in women's cognitive function [186, 187].”
Metadata
- Authors
- Sundström Poromaa, I., & Gingnell, M.
- Affiliations
- Uppsala University (SE)
- ORCID
- Gingnell, Malin
- Venue
- Frontiers in Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2014-11-24
- Volume
- 8
- Pages
- 380-380
- ISSN
- 1662-453X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4241821
- OpenAlex
- W2019634736
- Cited by
- 291
- References
- 132
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 34 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 3.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Frontiers in Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Menstrual Health and Disorders
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Endocrinology › Estrogen and related hormone effects
- Keywords
- menstrual cycle, cognitive function, emotional processing, ovarian steroids, estradiol, progesterone, sexual dimorphism, mental rotation, working memory, prefrontal cortex, luteal phase, premenstrual disorders, amygdala reactivity, emotional memory, fear extinction, emotion recognition
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
