Women's Brain Health in the Era of Precision Neuroimaging

The mammalian brain is dynamically shaped by endocrine rhythms, yet the field of human neuroscience has historically studied the brain in isolation from these biological signals. This review synthesizes evidence from dense-sampling studies that probe endocrine-nervous system coupling over major steroid hormone transitions, including the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. We highlight ways in which precision imaging may be uniquely equipped to elucidate the neurobiological underpinnings of why hormonal transition periods are major inflection points for the emergence of mood disorders. Dense-sampling designs are also poised to resolve major gaps in our basic understanding of brain-hormone coupling during the onset and cessation of reproductive function. The next era of precision neuroimaging will benefit from integrating dense-sampling approaches over hormonal transitions with personalized functional mapping methods to resolve how hormone rhythms shape individual-specific brain organization, laying the foundation for precise models of women's brain health across the lifespan.