Hormonal contraception & face processing: Examining face gender, androgenicity & treatment duration

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Previous studies indicate combined oral contraceptives (COCs) may alter face processing.
• The fusiform face area (FFA) and its functional connectivity are implicated.
• Understanding these effects requires differentiating COC types and usage duration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of different combined oral contraceptive (COC) types on face processing.
• To examine the relationship between COC use duration, androgenicity, and neural activity in the FFA.
• To explore alterations in brain connectivity associated with face recognition during COC use.

Main Methods:

• 120 female participants underwent structural and functional MRI scans (rest, face encoding, face recognition).
• Participants were categorized as never-users, current first-time users, or previous users of androgenic or anti-androgenic COCs.
• Analysis focused on the fusiform face area (FFA) and its connectivity, particularly with the supramarginal gyrus (SMG).

Main Results:

• COC-associated effects on face processing are modulated by androgenicity and cease after use.
• Anti-androgenic COC users showed altered resting-state FFA-SMG connectivity compared to never-users.
• Androgenic COC use correlated with decreased FFA-SMG connectivity during face recognition and reduced identification accuracy with longer duration.

Conclusions:

• Combined oral contraceptive (COC) use influences face processing networks, with effects varying by androgenicity.
• The fusiform face area (FFA) and supramarginal gyrus (SMG) are key regions affected by COC use.
• Findings highlight the need for further research, including randomized controlled trials, on COC effects on cognitive functions.