Progesterone modulates theta oscillations in the frontal-parietal network

Area of Science:

• Neuroendocrinology
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Brain Oscillations

Background:

• Steroid hormones like progesterone (P4) and testosterone (T) have neuroactive metabolites that modulate cognition via GABAergic pathways.
• The precise impact of P4 and T on brain network activity, particularly oscillatory patterns, remains largely uncharacterized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether progesterone (P4) and testosterone (T) modulate frontal midline theta (FMT) oscillations, a key pattern in cognitive control.
• To explore the relationship between P4 and T concentrations and FMT oscillation amplitude in healthy adults.

Main Methods:

• Measured salivary P4 and T concentrations using enzyme immunoassay in 55 healthy men and women.
• Recorded high-density electroencephalography (EEG) during resting-state to capture FMT oscillations.
• Analyzed brain activity using Fourier analysis, aperiodic signal fitting, and beamformer source localization.

Main Results:

• Elevated P4 concentrations significantly predicted increased amplitude of FMT oscillations across both sexes.
• No significant relationship was observed between testosterone (T) concentrations and FMT amplitude.
• Source localization identified FMT oscillations within the frontal-parietal network (FPN), with P4 correlating positively with theta amplitude in this network.

Conclusions:

• Progesterone (P4) concentration positively modulates brain activity through the upregulation of theta oscillations in the frontal-parietal network (FPN).
• These findings highlight a specific neuroendocrine mechanism influencing brain network dynamics related to cognitive processes.