Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

The McCollough effect across the menstrual cycle

M S Maguire1, W Byth

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Luton, England. moira.maguire@luton.ac.uk

Perception & Psychophysics
|April 8, 1998
PubMed
Summary

The McCollough effect strengthens during the menstrual cycle, peaking before menstruation in women. This visual perception phenomenon is linked to hormonal shifts and arousal levels, but not observed in oral contraceptive users.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

In search of an elusive hard threshold: a test of observer's ability to order sub-threshold stimuli.

Vision research·2003
Same author

Cholinergic agents and the McCollough effect.

Perception·2000
Same author

The effects of haloperidol on visual search, eye movements and psychomotor performance.

Psychopharmacology·1997
Same author

Extraversion and the McCollough effect.

British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953)·1993
Same author

Oxygen consumption following exercise of moderate intensity and duration.

European journal of applied physiology and occupational physiology·1992
Same author

The McCollough effect as a measure of central cholinergic activity in man.

Psychopharmacology·1992

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology
  • Physiology

Background:

  • The McCollough effect (ME) is a visual perception phenomenon sensitive to cholinergic agents and central nervous system (CNS) arousal.
  • Previous research indicates ME is modulated by substances affecting neurotransmitter systems and general arousal levels.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle on the strength of the McCollough effect.
  • To determine if changes in CNS arousal, potentially mediated by hormones, affect ME intensity.

Main Methods:

  • Two experiments were conducted involving normally cycling women and oral contraceptive users.
  • ME strength was assessed across different phases of the menstrual cycle.

Main Results:

Keywords:
BiologyCentral Nervous SystemCentral Nervous System Effects--womenClinical ResearchEndocrine SystemHormonesMenstrual CycleMenstruationPhysiologyReproductionResearch MethodologyResearch ReportWomen

Related Experiment Videos

  • A significant effect of menstrual phase on ME strength was observed in normally cycling women.
  • ME strength showed a gradual increase throughout the cycle, culminating in a premenstrual peak.
  • No significant effect of menstrual phase was found in women using oral contraceptives.

Conclusions:

  • Hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle significantly influence the McCollough effect in normally cycling women.
  • The observed pattern suggests that hormonally mediated changes in arousal levels underlie the modulation of ME strength across the menstrual cycle.