A German psychologist’s self-experiment could advance science in research into hormonal influences on the brain. The scientist had himself examined 75 times using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the ‘pill’.
“The impact of birth control pills on the brain is poorly understood, even though millions of women use them worldwide. To investigate how this affects neuronal patterns and the volume of certain brain areas, Carina Heller underwent a self-experiment over the past two years.
Hormone levels were also measured
Before, during and after three months of taking the pill, the psychologist underwent an MRI for 90 minutes from Monday to Friday for five weeks at her then workplace, the University of Jena. “In addition, she had hormone concentrations in the blood determined and completed daily mood questionnaires,” the German Pharmazeutische Zeitung reported, citing “Nature.”
Certain parts of the brain shrank due to the pill
The psychologist recently presented the results of her self-experiment at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. The key points: The volume of certain parts of the brain shrank slightly when the “pill” was used. The scientist emphasized that this does not automatically mean worsened or improved brain function. It is a complex and finely tuned response of the brain to hormonal fluctuations.
Brain is affected by the menstrual cycle
The psychologist’s MRI images were slightly different in the period without the use of an oral contraceptive. “Carina Heller discovered that brain volume and neuronal connectivity fluctuated and showed rhythmic patterns over the course of a natural menstrual cycle. By comparison, both the volume and connectivity between certain brain areas decreased slightly when taking the pill. After discontinuation, these parameters largely returned to normal,” the Pharmazeutische Zeitung reported on Tuesday.
Researcher hopes to gain insight into endometriosis
The scientist now wants to make her MRI scans available to other researchers. She also wants to compare her data with that of an endometriosis patient to find out whether hormone fluctuations in the brain can be the cause of the disease.
Source: Krone
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