Menstrual cycle and perceived stress predict performance on the mnemonic similarity task
Mateja Perović1, Michael L Mack1
1Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Plos One
|May 2, 2025
Summary
Ovarian hormones impact cognition. Pattern separation performance varies across the menstrual cycle, influenced by estradiol and progesterone, with stress potentially enhancing memory.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Endocrinology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Ovarian hormones significantly influence the hippocampus, a brain region crucial for memory.
- The precise effects of these hormonal fluctuations on human cognitive functions, particularly memory, remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of the menstrual cycle on pattern separation, a key hippocampal function.
- To explore the relationship between ovarian hormone levels and cognitive performance across different cycle phases.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the mnemonic similarity task to assess pattern separation ability in 183 human participants.
- Tracked cognitive performance across the menstrual cycle to identify hormonal influences.
Main Results:
- Observed a non-linear effect of the menstrual cycle on pattern separation performance.
- Performance peaked during the late follicular phase (high estradiol) and was lowest in the mid-luteal phase (moderate estradiol, high progesterone).
- Perceived stress was found to potentially enhance pattern separation performance.
Conclusions:
- Ovarian hormones play a critical role in modulating human cognitive abilities, specifically hippocampal-dependent memory.
- Menstrual cycle phase influences pattern separation, highlighting the dynamic nature of hormone-cognition interactions.
- Perceived stress may modulate mnemonic task performance, suggesting complex interactions between psychological and hormonal factors.
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