Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39978694›Full record

ArticleBrain, behavior, and immunity2025

Hormonal contraceptives in adolescence impact the neuroimmune environment of the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in female rats.

Rachel A Gilfarb, Sanjana Ranade, Elizabeth Dybas, Abigail Biddle, Meredith Stewart, Abhishek Rajesh, Benedetta Leuner, Kathryn M Lenz

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Brain, behavior, and immunity, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Rachel A GilfarbNeuroscience Graduate Program, 460 Medical Center Drive, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Sanjana RanadeDepartment of Psychology, 1835 Neil Avenue, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Elizabeth DybasNeuroscience Graduate Program, 460 Medical Center Drive, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Abigail BiddleDepartment of Psychology, 1835 Neil Avenue, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Meredith StewartDepartment of Psychology, 1835 Neil Avenue, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Abhishek RajeshDepartment of Psychology, 1835 Neil Avenue, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Benedetta LeunerDepartment of Psychology, 1835 Neil Avenue, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Department of Neuroscience, 460 W. 12th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210, The Ohio State University, USA.
Kathryn M LenzDepartment of Psychology, 1835 Neil Avenue, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, 460 Medical Center Drive, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Department of Neuroscience, 460 W. 12th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210, The Ohio State University, USA. Electronic address: lenz.56@osu.edu.

Funding

Hormonal Contraceptives and Adolescent Brain DevelopmentR21HD109618 · NICHD · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · PI LENZ, KATHRYN M., LEUNER, BENEDETTA J · 2023 to 2024
$419k
NICHD NIH HHS R21 HD109618
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Adolescence is a period of protracted neurodevelopment, during which the prefrontal cortex (PFC) undergoes significant remodeling. Microglia are integral to neurodevelopment and are sensitive to gonadal hormones, which increase during adolescence. Microglia and gonadal hormones can interact to influence adolescent development of the PFC (or medial prefrontal cortex [mPFC] in rodents). In females, gonadal hormones can be perturbed by using hormonal contraceptives (HCs). We predicted that HC administration over adolescence could affect microglia, other immunocompetent cells, and the neuroimmune environment of the developing mPFC. We also assessed HC effects on neuroimmune measures in the hippocampus, as the hippocampus also matures throughout adolescence and is sensitive to ovarian hormones. Intact post-pubertal female Sprague-Dawley rats received daily subcutaneous injections of vehicle or 10 ug ethinyl estradiol + 20 ug levonorgestrel (HCs) throughout adolescence from postnatal day (PND) 35-56. On PND 57 or 58, brains were collected for immunohistochemistry and qPCR. In the mPFC, HC-treated rats showed less Iba1 (microglia) immunolabeling and fewer Iba1

Indexed as

Contraceptives, Oral, HormonalHippocampusPrefrontal CortexAnimalsEthinyl EstradiolFemaleLevonorgestrelMicrogliaRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyContraceptives, Oral, HormonalEthinyl EstradiolLevonorgestrelAdolescenceAstrocytesCytokineDevelopmentHippocampusHormoneMicrogliaPrefrontal cortex

Identifiers

PMID39978694
PMCPMC13366481

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.