ArticleEBioMedicine2026
Progesterone-associated adjustments in brain structure during menstruation and the periovulatory phase-an MRI study.
Article in EBioMedicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFluctuations in oestrogen (E2) and progesterone (P4) shape brain morphology across menstrual cycles. Yet, it remains unclear how these hormonal dynamics translate into region-specific changes in grey matter structure.
methodsUsing structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we assessed grey matter volume (GMV) and cortical thickness (CT) in 32 healthy women during the periovulatory phase (peak E2) and menstruation (low E2 and P4). Region-of-interest (ROI) and exploratory whole-brain analyses were performed, complemented by multiple regression models to assess associations between E2, P4, and brain morphology. Further, spatial colocalisation analyses were applied to link observed macrostructural changes with receptor density maps.
findingsPredefined ROI analyses targeting the amygdala and the hippocampus yielded no significant effects after correction for multiple comparisons. While E2 correlated positively with parietal regions in the periovulatory phase, P4 exhibited robust phase-dependent associations with the cerebellar and fusiform volumes in the periovulatory phase, and with the frontal volumes and widespread CT during menstruation. Spatial colocalisation with hormone receptor distributions indicated stronger structural changes in regions with higher P4 receptor density.
interpretationThese results identify P4 as a key modulator of brain morphology, with its effects varying according to the menstrual phase. Understanding the hormone-driven brain dynamics is essential for a more accurate model of female brain function and mental health.
fundingGerman Research Foundation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.