title: Influence of menstrual cycle phase on resting-state functional connectivity in naturally cycling, cigarette-dependent women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sex differences in tobacco-related morbidity and mortality exist, with women experiencing more severe health consequences and greater difficulty with smoking cessation than men. One factor that likely contributes to these sex differences is menstrual cycle phase and associated neural and cognitive changes associated with ovarian hormone fluctuations across the menstrual cycle. Previously, we showed that naturally cycling, cigarette-dependent women in the follicular phase of their menstrual cycle showed greater reward-related neural activity and greater craving during smoking cue exposure. To better understand our results and the observed sex differences in smoking behavior and relapse, we explored potential menstrual cycle phase differences in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in naturally cycling, cigarette-dependent women. Understanding how menstrual cycle phase affects neural processes, cognition, and behavior is a critical step in developing more efficacious treatments and in selecting the best treatment option based on a patient's needs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Resting-state functional connectivity analyses were used to examine connectivity strength differences between naturally cycling, premenopausal, cigarette-dependent women who were in the follicular phase (FPs; n = 22) and those in the luteal phase (LPs, n = 16) of their menstrual cycle. We also explored associations between connectivity strength and attentional bias to smoking cues.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with LPs, FPs showed decreased rsFC between the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC), and ventral striatum. Among FPs, rsFC strength between the dACC and the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the bilateral dorsal striatum, and the left temporal gyrus was inversely correlated with attentional bias to smoking cues.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study to explore menstrual cycle phase differences in rsFC among cigarette-dependent women, and results suggest that FPs show differences in rsFC underlying cognitive control, which could place them at greater risk for continued smoking and relapse. These findings provide new insights toward individualized treatment strategies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.
authors.forename: Reagan R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Wetherill
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.
authors.forename: Kanchana
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jagannathan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hager
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maron
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.
authors.forename: Teresa R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Franklin
keywords: Menstrual cycle; Neuroimaging; Resting-state functional connectivity