Cortical activation during menopausal hot flashes
Robert R Freedman1, Mark D Benton, Richard J Genik
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA. aa2613@wayne.edu
Objective:
To determine regions of brain activation associated with menopausal hot flashes and sweating.
Design:
Controlled laboratory study.
Setting:
University medical center.
Patient(S):
Symptomatic postmenopausal women and asymptomatic eumenorrheic women.
Intervention(S):
None.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Brain activation measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging.
Result(S):
Significant (P<.001) areas of activation during hot flashes in symptomatic women included the insula and anterior cingulate cortex. Sweating in the eumenorrheic women was associated (P<.001) with activity in the anterior cingulate and superior frontal gyrus.
Conclusion(S):
Activation of the insular cortex is associated with the "rush of heat" described during menopausal hot flashes. Thermoregulation in humans appears to be represented in a distributed cortico-subcortical network rather than in a single localized structure.
Related Concept Videos
Menopause
Sympathetic Activation
Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
Optimal Arousal Theory
Inverted U-Shaped Performance Curve
The...
Hormonal Regulation
Thermosensation
