title: Evidence of estrogen modulation on memory processes for emotional content in healthy young women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It is well accepted that emotional content can affect memory, interacting with the encoding and consolidation processes. The aim of the present study was to verify the effects of estrogens in the interplay of cognition and emotion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Images from the International Affective Pictures System, based on valence (pleasant, unpleasant and neutral), maintaining arousal constant, were viewed passively by two groups of young women in different cycle phases: a periovulatory group (PO), characterized by high level of estrogens and low level of progesterone, and an early follicular group (EF), characterized by low levels of both estrogens and progesterone. The electrophysiological responses to images were measured, and P300 peak was considered. One week later, long-term memory was tested by means of free recall.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intra-group analysis displayed that PO woman had significantly better memory for positive images, while EF women showed significantly better memory for negative images. The comparison between groups revealed that women in the PO phase had better memory performance for positive pictures than women in the EF phase, while no significant differences were found for negative and neutral pictures. According to the free recall results, the subjects in the PO group showed greater P300 amplitude, and shorter latency, for pleasant images compared with women in the EF group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results showed that the physiological hormonal fluctuation of estrogens during the menstrual cycle can influence memory, at the time of encoding, during the processing of emotional information.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy. Electronic address: assunta.pompili@cc.univaq.it.
authors.forename: Assunta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pompili
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
authors.forename: Benedetto
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Arnone
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Amico
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Federico
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gasbarri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000378:metabolism; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D004958:Estradiol / Q000378:metabolism; D004967:Estrogens / Q000378:metabolism*; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300 / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D057567:Memory, Long-Term; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D011374:Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol
keywords: Emotion; Estrogens; Event-related potentials; IAPS; Memory; Menstrual cycle phase