It’s been suggested that women are better at giving directions than men. Sometimes, women’s memories work differently according to their phase of the menstrual cycle. This raises questions among scientists about whether estrogen and progesterone influence memory and problem-solving.
New research shows that estrogen and progesterone may cause the brain to favor one memory system or strategy over another. Scientists from Concordia University in Montreal did this latest research.
This study demonstrates that hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle have a more significant impact than previously thought. It causes some significant effects on how women approach and solve problems.
Scientists involved 45 women with regular menstrual cycles. First, participants were asked for a “hormonal profile” questionnaire. Through this, scientists gather detailed information about their menstrual cycles, past pregnancies, contraceptive and synthetic hormone intake history, and general lifestyle habits.
After that, participants were instructed on both the verbal memory task and the virtual navigation task. At last, they discussed how they solved the tasks from beginning to end.
Thus, the result showed that women who were ovulating performed better on the verbal memory task. Additionally, women tested in their pre-menstrual phase were better at solving spatial navigation tasks. That means women used different strategies to solve tasks depending on the phase of their menstrual cycle.
Obesity is associated with heavier periods, which may cause impaired womb repair
Wayne Brake, co-author, said, “This is important scientifically. We and others have previously shown that the levels of estrogen and progesterone in rodents influence different brain regions. It affects various memory systems involved in task-solving. For example, when estrogen levels are high, female rats will use one type of memory system or strategy versus another to solve a maze. This is the first study to show that this is also true for women, who solve tasks in different ways based on their hormones.”
Generally, scientists use male rats in their studies to create drugs and treatments for people. But, Dema Hussain, the study’s lead author, said, “We came to know that women respond differently than men.”
“The study needs more research to deepen our understanding of the female brain. Those efforts must develop to tailor future research to improve our understanding of the effects of female sex hormones on cognition and memory,” she added.
