Layher, E. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2020

Progesterone shapes medial temporal lobe volume across the human menstrual cycle

The rhythmic production of sex steroid hormones is a central feature of the mammalian endocrine system. In rodents and nonhuman primates, sex hormones are powerful regulators of hippocampal subfield morphology. However, it remains unknown whether intrinsic fluctuations in sex hormones alter hippocampal morphology in the human brain. In a series of dense-sampling studies, we used high-resolution imaging of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) to determine whether endogenous fluctuations (Study 1) and exogenous manipulation (Study 2) of sex hormones alter MTL volume over time. Across the menstrual cycle, intrinsic fluctuations in progesterone were associated with volumetric changes in CA2/3, entorhinal, perirhinal, and parahippocampal cortex. Chronic progesterone suppression abolished these cycle-dependent effects and led to pronounced volumetric changes in entorhinal cortex and CA2/3 relative to freely cycling conditions. No associations with estradiol were observed. These results establish progesterones ability to rapidly and dynamically shape MTL morphology across the human menstrual cycle. HighlightsO_LISex hormones are powerful regulators of hippocampal plasticity in mammals. C_LIO_LIThe impact of hormone fluctuations on hippocampal morphology in humans is unknown. C_LIO_LIHigh resolution imaging of the MTL was conducted across two 30-day periods. C_LIO_LIProgesterone dynamically shapes MTL volume across the human menstrual cycle. C_LIO_LIChronic progesterone suppression abolishes cycle-dependent changes. C_LI

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Functional reorganization of brain networks across the human menstrual cycle

The brain is an endocrine organ, sensitive to the rhythmic changes in sex hormone production that occurs in most mammalian species. In rodents and nonhuman primates, estrogen and progesterones impact on the brain is evident across a range of spatiotemporal scales. Yet, the influence of sex hormones on the functional architecture of the human brain is largely unknown. In this dense-sampling, deep phenotyping study, we examine the extent to which endogenous fluctuations in sex hormones alter intrinsic brain networks at rest in a woman who underwent brain imaging and venipuncture for 30 consecutive days. Standardized regression analyses illustrate estrogen and progesterones widespread associations with functional connectivity. Time-lagged analyses examined the temporal directionality of these relationships and suggest that cortical network dynamics (particularly in the Default Mode and Dorsal Attention Networks, whose hubs are densely populated with estrogen receptors) are preceded--and perhaps driven--by hormonal fluctuations. A similar pattern of associations was observed in a follow-up study one year later. Together, these results reveal the rhythmic nature in which brain networks reorganize across the human menstrual cycle. Neuroimaging studies that densely sample the individual connectome have begun to transform our understanding of the brains functional organization. As these results indicate, taking endocrine factors into account is critical for fully understanding the intrinsic dynamics of the human brain. HighlightsO_LIIntrinsic fluctuations in sex hormones shape the brains functional architecture. C_LIO_LIEstradiol facilitates tighter coherence within whole-brain functional networks. C_LIO_LIProgesterone has the opposite, reductive effect. C_LIO_LIOvulation (via estradiol) modulates variation in topological network states. C_LIO_LIEffects are pronounced in network hubs densely populated with estrogen receptors. C_LI

neuroscience↗