scholarly journals Intra-subject consistency of spontaneous eye blink rate in young women across the menstrual cycle

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Esmeralda Hidalgo-Lopez ◽  
Georg Zimmermann ◽  
Belinda Pletzer
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Null Hypothesis ◽  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Cycle Phase ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Eye Blink ◽  
Individual Consistency ◽  
Estradiol Levels

Abstract The spontaneous eye blink rate (EBR) has been linked to different cognitive processes and neurobiological factors. It has also been proposed as a putative index for striatal dopaminergic function. While estradiol is well-known to increase dopamine levels through multiple mechanisms, no study up to date has investigated whether the EBR changes across the menstrual cycle. This question is imperative however, as women have sometimes been excluded from studies using the EBR due to potential effects of their hormonal profile. Fifty-four women were tested for spontaneous EBR at rest in three different phases of their menstrual cycle: during menses (low progesterone and estradiol), in the pre-ovulatory phase (when estradiol levels peak and progesterone is still low), and during the luteal phase (high progesterone and estradiol). No significant differences were observed across the menstrual cycle and Bayes factors show strong support for the null hypothesis. Instead, we observed high intra-individual consistency of the EBR in our female sample. Accordingly, we strongly encourage including female participants in EBR studies, regardless of their cycle phase.

scholarly journals Injury Incidence Across the Menstrual Cycle in International Footballers

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Martin ◽  
Kate Timmins ◽  
Charlotte Cowie ◽  
Jon Alty ◽  
Ritan Mehta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Incidence Rate ◽  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Follicular Phase ◽  
Tendon Injuries ◽  
Cycle Phase ◽  
Injury Incidence ◽  
Rate Ratios ◽  
Late Follicular Phase

Objectives: This study aimed to assess how menstrual cycle phase and extended menstrual cycle length influence the incidence of injuries in international footballers.Methods: Over a 4-year period, injuries from England international footballers at training camps or matches were recorded, alongside self-reported information on menstrual cycle characteristics at the point of injury. Injuries in eumenorrheic players were categorized into early follicular, late follicular, or luteal phase. Frequencies were also compared between injuries recorded during the typical cycle and those that occurred after the cycle would be expected to have finished. Injury incidence rates (per 1,000 person days) and injury incidence rate ratios were calculated for each phase for all injuries and injuries stratified by type.Results: One hundred fifty-six injuries from 113 players were eligible for analysis. Injury incidence rates per 1,000 person-days were 31.9 in the follicular, 46.8 in the late follicular, and 35.4 in the luteal phase, resulting in injury incidence rate ratios of 1.47 (Late follicular:Follicular), 1.11 (Luteal:Follicular), and 0.76 (Luteal:Late follicular). Injury incident rate ratios showed that muscle and tendon injury rates were 88% greater in the late follicular phase compared to the follicular phase, with muscle rupture/tear/strain/cramps and tendon injuries/ruptures occurring over twice as often during the late follicular phase compared to other phases 20% of injuries were reported as occurring when athletes were “overdue” menses.Conclusion: Muscle and tendon injuries occurred almost twice as often in the late follicular phase compared to the early follicular or luteal phase. Injury risk may be elevated in typically eumenorrheic women in the days after their next menstruation was expected to start.

scholarly journals Menstrual Cycle and Surgical Treatment of Breast Cancer: Findings From the NCCTG N9431 Study

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (22) ◽  
pp. 3620-3626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clive S. Grant ◽  
James N. Ingle ◽  
Vera J. Suman ◽  
Daniel A. Dumesic ◽  
D. Lawrence Wickerham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Follicular Phase ◽  
Cycle Phase ◽  
Adjuvant Radiation ◽  
Menstrual Phase ◽  
Menstrual Cycle Phase ◽  
Hormone Levels ◽  
Menstrual History

Purpose For nearly two decades, multiple retrospective reports, small prospective studies, and meta-analyses have arrived at conflicting results regarding the value of timing surgical intervention for breast cancer on the basis of menstrual cycle phase. We present the results of a multi–cooperative group, prospective, observational trial of menstrual cycle phase and outcome after breast cancer surgery, led by the North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) in collaboration with the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) and the International Breast Cancer Study Group (IBCSG). Patients and Methods Premenopausal women age 18 to 55 years, who were interviewed for menstrual history and who were surgically treated for stages I to II breast cancer, had serum drawn within 1 day of surgery for estradiol, progesterone, and luteinizing hormone levels. Menstrual history and hormone levels were used to determine menstrual phase: luteal, follicular, and other. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were determined by Kaplan-Meier method and were compared by using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard modeling. Results Of 1,118 women initially enrolled, 834 women comprised the study cohort: 230 (28%) in luteal phase; 363 (44%) in follicular phase; and 241 grouped as other. During a median follow-up of 6.6 years, and in analysis that accounted for nodal disease, estrogen receptor status, adjuvant radiation therapy or chemotherapy, neither DFS nor OS differed with respect to menstrual phase. The 5-year DFS rates were 82.7%, 82.1%, and 79.2% for follicular, luteal, or other phases, respectively. Corresponding OS survival rates were 91.9%, 92.2%, and 91.8%, respectively. Conclusion When menstrual cycle phases were strictly defined, neither DFS nor OS differed between women who underwent surgery during the follicular phase versus the luteal phase. Nearly 30% of the patients did not meet criteria for either follicular- or luteal-phase categories.

The effect of timing of breast cancer surgery during the menstrual cycle phase on the axillary lymph node, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and c-erb B2

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Berrin Papila Kundaktepe Specialist ◽  
Sinem Durmus ◽  
Cigdem Papila ◽  
Mehmet Velidedeoglu ◽  
Remise Gelisgen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Estrogen Receptor ◽  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Progesterone Receptor ◽  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Breast Cancer Surgery ◽  
Cycle Phase ◽  
Axillary Lymph ◽  
Menstrual Cycle Phase ◽  
Erbb2 Gene

Abstract Background: Estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) positivity and c-erbB2 gene expression levels are important in determining breast cancer (BC) development and aggression. Although the importance of hormonal factors in tumor cell proliferation, migration and differentiation is increasing, it needs more evidence. The effect of BC surgery timing during the menstrual cycle on prognosis remains controversial. In order to clarify this hypothesis, we aimed to determine the importance of adjusting the timing of surgery according to the menstrual cycle by examining the relationship between ER, PR, c-erbB2 gene and the menstrual cycle phase in patients with premenopausal BC.Method: Our study was designed retrospectively. 50 patients with premenopausal BC who were operated were included in the study.Results: Our results showed that the patients in the luteal phase had higher ER positivity, PR positivity and c-erbB2 negativity, and the number of metastatic axillary lymph nodes was lower than the patients in follicular phase. Conclusion: BC surgery during the luteal phase in pre-menopausal women is associated with a better clinical outcome. Although larger-scale studies are needed, our results suggest that better results can be achieved by performing surgery in luteal phase in BC patients during premenopausal period.

Women With Generalized Anxiety Disorder Show Increased Repetitive Negative Thinking During the Luteal Phase of the Menstrual Cycle

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 1037-1045
Author(s):  
Sophie H. Li ◽  
Thomas F. Denson ◽  
Bronwyn M. Graham
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Repetitive Negative Thinking ◽  
Negative Thinking

Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a transdiagnostic feature of psychiatric disorders. Women report greater RNT than do men, yet the association between uniquely female characteristics, such as fluctuating sex hormones during the menstrual cycle, and RNT has not been established. Here we examined changes in RNT and anxiety symptoms across the menstrual cycle in women with ( n = 40) and without ( n = 41) generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Women with GAD reported an increase in RNT and negative affect from the follicular phase to the luteal phase; unexpectedly, this was not associated with changes in anxiety symptoms, estradiol, or progesterone. Nonanxious women reported no changes in RNT or anxiety symptoms over the menstrual cycle, but higher within-participants progesterone was associated with reduced RNT and negative affect. These results indicate that uniquely female biological processes may influence core cognitive processes that underlie anxiety disorders, but further investigations to determine the implications for symptom severity are required.

scholarly journals ADMA concentration changes across the menstrual cycle and during oral contraceptive use: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study

2010 ◽  
Vol 162 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pirjo Valtonen ◽  
Kari Punnonen ◽  
Heli Saarelainen ◽  
Nonna Heiskanen ◽  
Olli T Raitakari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Contraceptive ◽  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Brachial Artery ◽  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Follicular Phase ◽  
Cycle Phase ◽  
Adult Women ◽  
Brachial Artery Diameter ◽  
Concentration Changes ◽  
Adma Concentration

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate changes in the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels during different menstrual cycle phases in young adult women with or without oral contraceptive (OC) use.Design and methodsThe subjects (n=1079) originated from a large population-based, prospective cohort study conducted in Finland. Plasma ADMA, symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), l-arginine, C-reactive protein, creatinine, and brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) were measured. The use of OCs and menstrual cycle phase were determined from a questionnaire.ResultsIn non-OC users, ADMA (P=0.017), l-arginine (P=0.002), and ADMA/SDMA ratio (P<0.001) were significantly lower in the luteal phase than in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. Non-OC users also had significantly higher ADMA and SDMA concentrations (P<0.001) and lower l-arginine concentrations (P<0.001) compared to OC users of estrogen-containing pills. Progestin-only contraceptive pills (POPs) did not lower the ADMA level, but maintained it at the same level as in non-OC users. In OC users, there were no significant differences found in ADMA, FMD, or FMD% across menstrual cycle, whereas brachial artery diameter was significantly more decreased in the luteal phase (P=0.013) than in the follicular phase.ConclusionWe observed that the circulating ADMA concentration varies across the menstrual cycle in young women not using OCs, and women on OCs displayed significantly lower circulating ADMA concentrations than non-OC users, though this was not the case with POP contraception.

scholarly journals Spontaneous eye blink rate predicts individual differences in exploration and exploitation during reinforcement learning

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne C. Van Slooten ◽  
Sara Jahfari ◽  
Jan Theeuwesu
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Negative Outcomes ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Successful Performance ◽  
Eye Blink ◽  
Mixture Modelling

AbstractSpontaneous eye blink rate (sEBR) has been linked to striatal dopamine function and to how individuals make value-based choices after a period of reinforcement learning (RL). While sEBR is thought to reflect how individuals learn from the negative outcomes of their choices, this idea has not been tested explicitly. This study assessed how individual differences in sEBR relate to learning by focusing on the cognitive processes that drive RL. Using Bayesian latent mixture modelling to quantify the mapping between RL behaviour and its underlying cognitive processes, we were able to differentiate low and high sEBR individuals at the level of these cognitive processes. Further inspection of these cognitive processes indicated that sEBR uniquely indexed explore-exploit tendencies during RL: lower sEBR predicted exploitative choices for high valued options, whereas higher sEBR predicted exploration of lower value options. This relationship was additionally supported by a network analysis where, notably, no link was observed between sEBR and how individuals learned from negative outcomes. Our findings challenge the notion that sEBR predicts learning from negative outcomes during RL, and suggest that sEBR predicts individual explore-exploit tendencies. These then influence value sensitivity during choices to support successful performance when facing uncertain reward.

scholarly journals Peak gamma frequency and cortical laminar processing are modified across the healthy menstrual cycle

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.L. Sumner ◽  
R.L. McMilllan ◽  
A. D. Shaw ◽  
K.D. Singh ◽  
F. Sundram ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Pyramidal Cells ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Gonadal Hormones ◽  
Follicular Phase ◽  
Cycle Phase ◽  
Functional Changes ◽  
Gamma Frequency ◽  
Cortical Laminar

AbstractFluctuations in gonadal hormones over the course of the menstrual cycle are known to cause functional brain changes and are thought to modulate changes in the balance of cortical excitation and inhibition. Animal research has shown this occurs primarily via the major metabolite of progesterone, allopregnanolone, and its action as a positive allosteric modulator of the GABAA receptor. Our study used EEG to record gamma oscillations induced in the visual cortex using stationary and moving gratings. Recordings took place during twenty females’ mid-luteal phase when progesterone and oestradiol are highest, and early follicular phase when progesterone and oestradiol are lowest. Significantly higher (~5 Hz) gamma frequency was recorded during the luteal compared to the follicular phase for both stimuli types. Using dynamic causal modelling these changes were linked to stronger self-inhibition of superficial pyramidal cells in the luteal compared to the follicular phase. In addition the connection from inhibitory interneurons to deep pyramidal cells was found to be stronger in the follicular compared to the luteal phase. These findings show that complex functional changes in synaptic microcircuitry occur across the menstrual cycle and that menstrual cycle phase should be taken into consideration when including female participants in research into gamma-band oscillations.

scholarly journals PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF WOMEN IN DEPENDENCE ON THE OVARIOHORMONAL CYCLE PHASE AND PROGESTERONE ACTIVITY (PART 2)

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-265
Author(s):  
K. B. Muravlyova ◽  
O. I. Kuzminova ◽  
S. I. Petrova ◽  
M. V. Skoraya ◽  
O. M. Bazanova
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Peak Frequency ◽  
Follicular Phase ◽  
Progesterone Level ◽  
Cycle Phase ◽  
Alpha Band ◽  
Menstrual Cycle Phase ◽  
Subject Design ◽  
Alpha Peak

With the aim to identify the effects of menstrual cycle phase on the alpha EEG characteristics the 78 women aged 18–27 years were studied in a within-subject design Half the subjects began investigation at their follicular phase and half at their luteal phase (LP). The alpha peak frequency, alpha band width and power inalpha-2 range are highest, but power in alpha 1 and activation are lowest in LP that is associated with the highest saliva progesterone level.

Effects of time of day, gender, and menstrual cycle phase on the human response to a water load

2000 ◽  
Vol 279 (3) ◽  
pp. R966-R973 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Claybaugh ◽  
Aileen K. Sato ◽  
Linda K. Crosswhite ◽  
L. Harrison Hassell
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Urine Flow ◽  
Cycle Phase ◽  
Human Response ◽  
Menstrual Cycle Phase ◽  
Water Turnover ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Water Load

Estrogen and progesterone interference with renal actions of arginine vasopressin (AVP) has been shown. Thus we hypothesized that women will have a higher water turnover than men and that the greatest difference will be during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Seven men (32 ± 3 yr) and six women (33 ± 2 yr) drank 12 ml water/kg lean body mass on different days at 0800 and at 2000 following 10 h of fast and a standardized meal at 0600 and 1800. Women participated on days 4–11 and 19–25 of the menstrual cycle. Initial urine and plasma osmolalities and urine flow rates were similar in all experiments. The cumulative urine voided over 3 h following the morning drink was less in men (73 ± 12% of the water load) compared with women in either the follicular (100 ± 3%) or luteal phases (102 ± 10%) of the menstrual cycle. Nighttime values (30–43% of the water load) were lower in all experiments and were not different between sexes or menstrual cycle phases. Plasma AVP was higher at night and may contribute to this diurnal response. The data are generally consistent with the stated hypothesis; however, possibly owing to the greatly reduced urine flow in both sexes at night, a difference between sexes was not observed at that time.

scholarly journals Importance of Daily Sex Hormone Measurements Within the Menstrual Cycle for Fertility Estimates in Cyclical Shifts Studies

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 147470491989791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Urszula M. Marcinkowska
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Cycle Length ◽  
High Fertility ◽  
Ongoing Debate ◽  
Lh Surge ◽  
Menstrual Cycles ◽  
Mating Psychology ◽  
Crucial Part ◽  
Estradiol Levels

Recent discussions have highlighted the importance of fertility measurements for the study of peri-ovulatory shifts in women’s mating psychology and mating-related behaviors. Participants in such studies typically attend at least two test sessions, one of which is, at least in theory, scheduled to occur during the high-fertility, peri-ovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle. A crucial part of this debate is whether luteinizing hormone (LH) tests alone are sufficient to accurately assign test sessions to the peri-ovulatory phase. This article adds to this ongoing debate by presenting analyses of a detailed database of daily estradiol levels and LH tests for 102 menstrual cycles. Based on more than 4,000 hormonal measurements, it is clear that individual differences in length of the cycle, length of the luteal phase and, perhaps most importantly, the discrepancy between the timing of the LH surge and the drop in estradiol that follows it are pronounced. Less than 40% of analyzed cycles followed the textbook pattern commonly assumed to occur in fertility-based research, in which the LH surge is assumed to occur not more than 48 hr before the estradiol drop. These results suggest that LH tests alone are not sufficient to assign test sessions to the peri-ovulatory phase and that analyses of sex hormones are essential to identify whether the participant was tested during the peri-ovulatory phase.

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