Linked projectsNAKO-587

SummaryThis project investigates how endogenous and exogenous sex hormone exposure is associated with brain structure, resting-state functional connectivity, mood, and cognitive performance in non-pregnant, premenopausal women from the NAKO Health Study. Endogenous hormone exposure will be approximated by menstrual cycle timing derived from women-specific interview data, while exogenous hormone exposure will be assessed using detailed information on hormonal contraception, including type, route of administration, formulation, age at initiation, and duration of use. The project will combine these exposure measures with MRI data, mood-related phenotypes, and cognitive outcomes in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. The scientific rationale is that sex hormone fluctuations influence brain function and structure and are linked to emotional and cognitive processes. However, existing studies are often small, selective, and methodologically heterogeneous. NAKO provides a unique opportunity by combining women-specific reproductive data, medication data, neuropsychiatric phenotyping, cognitive testing, and MRI in a large cohort with follow-up assessments. The data requested here will also form the basis of a DFG proposal.

Keywords Contraception Frauengesundheit Menstruation cognition longitudinal mental-health resting-state-fMRT sMRI

InstitutionsUniversitätsmedizin Greifswald, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Universität Heidelberg, Institut für Epidemiologie der Universität Münster, Universitätsklinikum Bonn