Menstrual cycle modulation of the relationship between cortisol and long-term memory

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Endocrinology
• Psychology

Background:

• Fluctuations in ovarian hormones across the menstrual cycle are known to affect cognition.
• The impact of these hormones on learning and memory under stressful conditions remains less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between salivary cortisol levels and memory recall performance in women at distinct menstrual cycle phases.
• To determine if stress-induced cortisol elevation influences memory differently depending on the menstrual phase.

Main Methods:

• Participants were women at different menstrual cycle phases (early follicular, late follicular, mid-luteal).
• Salivary cortisol levels were measured after a cold-pressor stress (CPS) procedure to induce stress.
• Recall performance was assessed 1 week post-training (encoding).

Main Results:

• No significant differences in memory performance were observed between control and CPS groups across all menstrual phases.
• A significant positive correlation between salivary cortisol and memory recall was found during the mid-luteal phase.
• No significant correlation between cortisol and memory was detected during the early or late follicular phases.
• Cortisol levels were elevated during the mid-luteal phase.

Conclusions:

• Glucocorticoid effects on memory are modulated by concurrent sex hormone levels.
• The mid-luteal phase, characterized by higher cortisol and a positive cortisol-memory correlation, suggests hormonal sensitivity during this period.