Implicit motor imagery performance and cortical activity throughout the menstrual cycle

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human Physiology
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Female motor and visuospatial skills fluctuate across the menstrual cycle.
• Implicit motor imagery, the involuntary imagination of movements, integrates kinesthetic, visual, and spatial processing.
• The hand laterality judgment task (HLJT) is a validated method for assessing implicit motor imagery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate alterations in implicit motor imagery performance and cortical activity throughout the menstrual cycle in women.
• To determine the influence of different menstrual cycle phases (menstrual, follicular, luteal) on motor imagery.
• To explore the relationship between hormonal levels (specifically estradiol) and implicit motor imagery performance.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-one healthy, right-handed women participated in the study.
• Participants completed the hand laterality judgment task (HLJT) during their menstrual, follicular, and luteal phases.
• Performance accuracy and electroencephalography (EEG) event-related potentials were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Participants demonstrated significantly better performance on the HLJT during the follicular and luteal phases compared to the menstrual phase.
• Test accuracy showed a positive correlation with estradiol levels during the follicular phase.
• EEG analysis revealed significant differences in rotation-related negativity in parieto-occipital regions during the follicular phase, specifically between medial and lateral hand orientations.

Conclusions:

• Estradiol appears to have a positive modulatory effect on implicit motor imagery performance in women.
• Menstrual cycle phase significantly impacts both the behavioral performance and neural correlates of implicit motor imagery.
• These findings highlight the dynamic interplay between hormonal fluctuations and cognitive-motor functions throughout the female reproductive cycle.