[Adta] BRAIN'S REWARD CIRCUIT ACTIVITY EBBS AND FLOWS WITH A WOMAN'S HORMONAL CYCLE

[Barbara A Busse]

Thought this would be of interest both personally and professinally.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
NIH News
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
<http://www.nimh.nih.gov/>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, February 2, 2007

CONTACT: Jules Asher, 301-443-4536, <e-mail: NIMHpress at nih.gov>

BRAIN'S REWARD CIRCUIT ACTIVITY EBBS AND FLOWS WITH A WOMAN'S HORMONAL
CYCLE

Fluctuations in sex hormone levels during women's menstrual cycles affect
the responsiveness of their brains' reward circuitry, an imaging study at
the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a component of the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), has revealed. While women were winning rewards,
their circuitry was more active if they were in a menstrual phase preceding
ovulation and dominated by estrogen, compared to a phase when estrogen and
progesterone are present.

"These first pictures of sex hormones influencing reward-evoked brain
activity in humans may provide insights into menstrual-related mood
disorders, women's higher rates of mood and anxiety disorders, and their
later onset and less severe course in schizophrenia," said Karen Berman,
M.D., chief of the NIMH Section on Integrative Neuroimaging. "The study may
also shed light on why women are more vulnerable to addictive drugs during
the pre-ovulation phase of the cycle."

Berman, Drs. Jean-Claude Dreher, Peter Schmidt and colleagues in the NIMH
Intramural Research Program report on their functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI) study online during the week of January 29, 2007 in the
"Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

Reward system circuitry includes: the prefrontal cortex, seat of thinking
and planning; the amygdala, a fear center; the hippocampus, a learning and
memory hub; and the striatum, which relays signals from these areas to the
cortex.  Reward circuit neurons harbor receptors for estrogen and
progesterone. However, how these hormones influence reward circuit activity
in humans has remained unclear.

To pinpoint hormone effects on the reward circuit, Berman and colleagues
scanned the brain activity of 13 women and 13 men while they performed a
task involving simulated slot machines. The women were scanned before and
after ovulation.

The fMRI pictures showed that when the women were anticipating a reward,
they activated the amygdala and a cortex area behind the eyes that
regulates emotion and reward-related planning behavior more during the
pre-ovulation phase (four to eight days after their period began) than in
the post-ovulatory phase.

When they hit the jackpot and actually won a reward, women in the
pre-ovulatory phase activated the striatum and circuit areas linked to
pleasure and reward more than when in the post-ovulatory phase.

The researchers also confirmed that the reward-related brain activity was
directly linked to levels of sex hormones. Activity in the amygdala and
hippocampus was in lockstep with estrogen levels regardless of cycle phase;
activity in these areas was also triggered by progesterone levels while
women were anticipating rewards during the post-ovulatory phase. Activity
patterns that emerged when rewards were delivered during the post-ovulatory
phase suggested that estrogen's effect on the reward circuit might be
altered by the presence of progesterone during that period.

Men showed a different activation profile than women during both
anticipation and delivery of rewards. For example, men had more activity in
a striatum (signal relay station) area during anticipation compared to
women and women had more activity in a frontal cortex (executive hub) area
at the time of reward delivery compared to men.

Also participating in the study were: Philip Kohn, Daniella Furman, NIMH
Section on Integrative Neuroimaging; and David Rubinow, NIMH Behavioral
Neuroendocrinology Branch.

Mood Disorders Information:
<http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/depressionmenu.cfm>

Anxiety Disorders Information:
<http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/anxietymenu.cfm>

Schizophrenia Information:
<http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/schizophreniamenu.cfm>

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) mission is to reduce the
burden of mental and behavioral disorders through research on mind, brain,
and behavior. More information is available at the NIMH website <
http://www.nimh.nih.gov>.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency
for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical
research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs,
visit <www.nih.gov>.

###

This NIH News Release is available online at:
<http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/feb2007/nimh-02.htm>.

To subscribe (or unsubscribe) from this list, go to
http://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=nihpress&A=1.


U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
NIH News
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
<http://www.nimh.nih.gov/>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, February 2, 2007

CONTACT: Jules Asher, 301-443-4536, <e-mail: NIMHpress at nih.gov>

BRAIN'S REWARD CIRCUIT ACTIVITY EBBS AND FLOWS WITH A WOMAN'S HORMONAL
CYCLE

Fluctuations in sex hormone levels during women's menstrual cycles affect
the responsiveness of their brains' reward circuitry, an imaging study at
the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a component of the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), has revealed. While women were winning rewards,
their circuitry was more active if they were in a menstrual phase preceding
ovulation and dominated by estrogen, compared to a phase when estrogen and
progesterone are present.

"These first pictures of sex hormones influencing reward-evoked brain
activity in humans may provide insights into menstrual-related mood
disorders, women's higher rates of mood and anxiety disorders, and their
later onset and less severe course in schizophrenia," said Karen Berman,
M.D., chief of the NIMH Section on Integrative Neuroimaging. "The study may
also shed light on why women are more vulnerable to addictive drugs during
the pre-ovulation phase of the cycle."

Berman, Drs. Jean-Claude Dreher, Peter Schmidt and colleagues in the NIMH
Intramural Research Program report on their functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI) study online during the week of January 29, 2007 in the
"Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

Reward system circuitry includes: the prefrontal cortex, seat of thinking
and planning; the amygdala, a fear center; the hippocampus, a learning and
memory hub; and the striatum, which relays signals from these areas to the
cortex.  Reward circuit neurons harbor receptors for estrogen and
progesterone. However, how these hormones influence reward circuit activity
in humans has remained unclear.

To pinpoint hormone effects on the reward circuit, Berman and colleagues
scanned the brain activity of 13 women and 13 men while they performed a
task involving simulated slot machines. The women were scanned before and
after ovulation.

The fMRI pictures showed that when the women were anticipating a reward,
they activated the amygdala and a cortex area behind the eyes that
regulates emotion and reward-related planning behavior more during the
pre-ovulation phase (four to eight days after their period began) than in
the post-ovulatory phase.

When they hit the jackpot and actually won a reward, women in the
pre-ovulatory phase activated the striatum and circuit areas linked to
pleasure and reward more than when in the post-ovulatory phase.

The researchers also confirmed that the reward-related brain activity was
directly linked to levels of sex hormones. Activity in the amygdala and
hippocampus was in lockstep with estrogen levels regardless of cycle phase;
activity in these areas was also triggered by progesterone levels while
women were anticipating rewards during the post-ovulatory phase. Activity
patterns that emerged when rewards were delivered during the post-ovulatory
phase suggested that estrogen's effect on the reward circuit might be
altered by the presence of progesterone during that period.

Men showed a different activation profile than women during both
anticipation and delivery of rewards. For example, men had more activity in
a striatum (signal relay station) area during anticipation compared to
women and women had more activity in a frontal cortex (executive hub) area
at the time of reward delivery compared to men.

Also participating in the study were: Philip Kohn, Daniella Furman, NIMH
Section on Integrative Neuroimaging; and David Rubinow, NIMH Behavioral
Neuroendocrinology Branch.

Mood Disorders Information:
<http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/depressionmenu.cfm>

Anxiety Disorders Information:
<http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/anxietymenu.cfm>

Schizophrenia Information:
<http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/schizophreniamenu.cfm>

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) mission is to reduce the
burden of mental and behavioral disorders through research on mind, brain,
and behavior. More information is available at the NIMH website <
http://www.nimh.nih.gov>.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency
for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical
research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs,
visit <www.nih.gov>.

###

This NIH News Release is available online at:
<http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/feb2007/nimh-02.htm>.

To subscribe (or unsubscribe) from this list, go to
http://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=nihpress&A=1.