Facilitated acquisition of the classically conditioned eyeblink response in women taking oral contraceptives.
Although anecdotal reports suggest that associative learning processes are affected by menstrual phase, empirical evidence has been equivocal. Moreover, there is a dearth of research concerning fluctuations of artificial or exogenous female hormones on learning and memory. Therefore, in this preliminary study we assessed learning in women who take oral contraceptives and those who do not during the three phases of the menstrual cycle: early, middle, and later cycle. The behavioral assessment included short-trace eyeblink conditioning, acoustic startle reactivity, and a fine motor coordination task (grooved pegboard). Oral contraceptive users generally acquired the conditioned eyeblink response better than non-users. Similar enhancements were observed for fine motor coordination and startle responsiveness. Further research will need to distinguish whether the hormone influence is upon the associative processes or the sensory-motor pathways involved in nonassociative learning.
Beck
Kevin D
KD
Neurobehavioral Research Laboratory, VA New Jersey Health Care System, East Orange, New Jersey 07018, USA. kdbeck@umdnj.edu
McLaughlin
Joselyn
J
Bergen
Michael T
MT
Cominski
Tara P
TP
Moldow
Roberta L
RL
Servatius
Richard J
RJ
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001767:Blinking / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D003215:Conditioning, Eyelid / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D020719:Glucuronides / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011276:Pregnanediol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000652:urine; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; D020719:Glucuronides; C022270:pregnanediol-3 alpha-glucuronide; D011276:Pregnanediol