Estrogen Linked to Learning Ability in New Study
Scientists have long known hormones impact brain function, influencing emotions, energy, and choices. Now, a new study sheds light on how these chemical signals cause these changes, specifically focusing on the role of estrogen. Researchers found that brain processes involved in learning and decision-making fluctuate, likely due to molecular changes linked to dopamine – the brain’s “reward” chemical. The study, published in nature Neuroscience, suggests a connection between estrogen levels and cognitive function.
“Despite the broad influence of hormones throughout the brain, little is known about how these hormones influence cognitive behaviors and related neurological activity,” explains Christine Constantinople, a professor at New York University’s Center for Neural Science and the study’s senior author. ”There is a growing realization in the medical community that changes in estrogen levels are related to cognitive function and, specifically, psychiatric disorders.”
The research team, from NYU and Virginia Commonwealth University, monitored brain activity in rats as they learned to associate audio cues wiht water rewards. they discovered that learning improved when estrogen levels were high, as estrogen boosts dopamine activity in brain regions responsible for reward processing, strengthening learning signals.
Though, when estrogen activity was reduced, the rats learned less effectively. importantly, the study found estrogen’s influence was limited to learning – decision-making remained unaffected. This finding suggests a potential link between hormone fluctuations and symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders.
“All neuropsychiatric disorders show fluctuations in symptom severity over hormonal states, suggesting that a better understanding of how hormones influence neural circuits might reveal what causes these diseases,” Constantinople notes.
This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, NYU Langone Health, and the Simons Foundation.