Hormonal effects on the plasticity of cognitive brain functions.
Sex hormones have powerful neuronal actions in the brain and affect the interaction between functionally linked cortical areas within and across cerebral hemispheres, probably via their neuromodulatory properties on gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate receptors. Menstrual cycle-related dynamic fluctuations in functional cerebral asymmetries and interhemispheric crosstalk have been shown to be a useful experimental model to investigate the activating effects of sex hormones on cognitive brain functions, particularly those of estradiol and progesterone. Besides a better understanding of sex hormonal effects on cognitive brain functions, this research may significantly contribute to addressing the question of whether sex differences in cognitive brain functioning truly exist and where they originate from. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Department of Psychology, Durham University, DurhamDH1 3LE, UK.
Markus
M
Hausmann