| 1. |
- Bannbers, Elin, 1984-, et al.
(författare)
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Prefrontal activity during response inhibition decreases over time in the postpartum period
- 2013
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Ingår i: Behavioural Brain Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0166-4328 .- 1872-7549. ; 241, s. 132-138
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The postpartum period is characterized by complex hormonal changes, but human imaging studies in the postpartum period have thus far predominantly focused on the neural correlates of maternal behavior or postpartum depression, whereas longitudinal studies on neural correlates of cognitive function across the postpartum period in healthy women are lacking. The aim of this study was to longitudinally examine response inhibition, as a measure of executive function, during the postpartum period and its neural correlates in healthy postpartum women and non-postpartum controls. Thirteen healthy postpartum women underwent event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a Go/NoGo task. The first assessment was made within 48 h of delivery, and the second at 4-7 weeks postpartum. In addition, 13 healthy women examined twice during the menstrual cycle were included as non-postpartum controls. In postpartum women region of interest analyses revealed task-related decreased activations in the right inferior frontal gyrus, right anterior cingulate, and bilateral precentral gyri at the late postpartum assessment. Generally, postpartum women displayed lower activity during response inhibition in the bilateral inferior frontal gyri and precentral gyri compared to non-postpartum controls. No differences in performance on the Go/NoGo task were found between time-points or between groups. In conclusion, this study has discovered that brain activity in prefrontal areas during a response inhibition task decreases throughout the course of the first postpartum weeks and is lower than in non-postpartum controls. Further studies on the normal adaptive brain activity changes that occur during the postpartum period are warranted. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 2. |
- Bannbers, Elin, 1984-
(författare)
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The Effect of Steroid Hormones in the Female Brain During Different Reproductive States
- 2012
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression and anxiety disorders and have an increased risk of onset during periods associated with hormonal changes, such as the postpartum period and the menopausal transition. Furthermore, some women seem more sensitive to normal hormone fluctuations across the menstrual cycle, since approximately 3-5% suffers from premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Why these disorders are so common in women has not been established but there is a probable involvement of the ovarian hormones.The aim of this thesis was to investigate the effect of the ovarian hormones on the female brain during different reproductive states using psychological tests known to affect brain activity in different ways.Paper one examined the effect of the ovarian hormones on prepulse inhibition (PPI) on the acoustic startle response (ASR) and comprised cycling women and postmenopausal women. The cycling women had lower levels of PPI compared to postmenopausal women and postmenopausal women with moderate estradiol levels had lower PPI compared to postmenopausal women with low estradiol levels.Paper two examined the effect of anticipation and affective modulation on the ASR in women with PMDD and healthy controls. Women with PMDD have an increased modulation during anticipation of affective pictures compared to healthy controls during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.Paper three examined brain activity during response inhibition among women with PMDD and healthy controls by the use of a Go/NoGo task and fMRI. Women with PMDD displayed a decreased activity in the left insula during follicular phase and an increased activity during the luteal phase compared to controls.Paper four comprised women in the postpartum period and non-pregnant controls to examine brain activity during response inhibition. While this study revealed decreased activity at 4 weeks postpartum compared to 48 hours postpartum we cannot ascertain the role of the ovarian steroids, since none of the significant brain areas correlated with ovarian steroid or neurosteroid serum concentrations.The results of this thesis demonstrate that the ovarian hormones, or at least various hormonal states, have a probable impact on how the female brain works.
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| 3. |
- Gingnell, Malin, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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Emotional anticipation after delivery - a longitudinal neuroimaging study of the postpartum period
- 2017
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neuroimaging research has begun to unveil the mechanisms behind emotion processing during the postpartum period, which, in turn, may be of relevance for the development of postpartum depression. The present study sought to longitudinally investigate the neural correlates of emotion anticipation during the postpartum period in healthy women. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was employed to measure the blood oxygen level-dependent signal in the brain in response to anticipation of negative emotional stimuli and during processing of images with positive or negative valence. The participating women were scanned twice: the first scan occurred during the first 48 hours after delivery, and the second was performed 4-6 weeks after delivery. The early postpartum period was characterized by higher anterior cingulate cortex reactivity during anticipation of negative emotional stimuli than the late postpartum period. This was accompanied by a negative relationship with insular reactivity during the early postpartum period and a trend towards an increase in insular reactivity in the late postpartum period. Thus, during the first four weeks of the postpartum period, a diminished top-down regulatory feedback on emotion-related areas of the brain was noted. This finding suggests a physiologically important adaptation during the healthy postpartum period.
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| 4. |
- Gingnell, Malin, et al.
(författare)
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Premenstrual dysphoric disorder and prefrontal reactivity during anticipation of emotional stimuli
- 2013
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Ingår i: European Neuropsychopharmacology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0924-977X .- 1873-7862. ; 23:11, s. 1474-1483
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Premenstrual disorder (PMDD) affects around 5% of women in childbearing ages. An increased sensitivity in emotion processing areas of the brain to variations in ovarian steroid levels has been suggested as part of the pathophysiology in PMDD, but prior neuroimaging studies of emotion processing are yet inconclusive. Previous behavioral studies of women with PMDD have, however, reported enhanced luteal phase startle responsivity during emotional anticipation. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate central neural circuitry activity during anticipation of, and exposure to, emotional stimuli across the menstrual cycle in women with and without PMDD. As compared to healthy controls, women with PMDD displayed significantly enhanced reactivity in the prefrontal cortex during anticipation of, but not exposure to, negative emotional stimuli during the luteal phase. In PMDD patients, BOLD reactivity during anticipation or viewing of negative emotional stimuli was not dependent on absolute levels of estradiol or progesterone. However, progesterone levels were positively correlated with emotion-induced reactivity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to positive emotional stimuli. These findings suggest that cortical emotional circuitry reactivity during anticipation is altered in PMDD during the luteal phase, which might be part of the pathophysiology behind the emotional symptoms or lack of emotional control reported by women with PMDD.
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| 5. |
- Gingnell, Malin, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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Social stimulation and corticolimbic reactivity in premenstrual dysphoric disorder : a preliminary study
- 2014
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Ingår i: Biology of Mood & Anxiety Disorders. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-5380. ; 4:1, s. 3-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND:Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), characterized by luteal phase-induced negative affect and loss of impulse control, often results in compromised social interactions. Although amygdala activation is generally linked to negative affect, increased amygdala reactivity to aversive stimuli in the luteal phase has not been consistently reported in PMDD. We tested the hypothesis that amygdala hyper-reactivity in PMDD is symptom specific, rather than generalized, and linked to socially relevant stimuli. Blood oxygenation level dependent signal changes during exposure to negative images with social and non-social content were evaluated in the mid-follicular and late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Fourteen women with PMDD and 13 healthy controls participated.RESULTS:When compared with healthy controls, women with PMDD in the luteal phase had enhanced reactivity to social stimuli compared to non-social stimuli in the amygdala and insula, but attenuated reactivity in the anterior cingulate cortex. Functional couplings between emotion processing and controlling areas were significantly different, being positive in women with PMDD and negative in healthy controls. Changes in progesterone levels in women with PMDD correlated positively with altered amygdala reactivity.CONCLUSIONS:Socially relevant aversive stimulation elicited enhanced activity in affective processing brain regions that were functionally coupled to compromised activity in cognitive control areas. Because increased reactivity correlated positively with alterations in ovarian steroid levels, data preliminary support the hypothesis that enhanced progesterone sensitivity in PMDD affects corticolimbic processing of social emotions.
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| 6. |
- Gingnell, Malin, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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The effect of combined hormonal contraceptives use on brain reactivity during response inhibition
- 2016
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Ingår i: European journal of contraception & reproductive health care. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1362-5187 .- 1473-0782. ; 21:2, s. 150-157
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives Cognitive control, which can be described as the ability to moderate impulses, has not previously been investigated in users of combined hormonal contraception (CHC). Given the suggested modulatory role of ovarian steroids in prefrontal dopaminergic function, which in turn taps into cognitive control, this randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled oral contraceptive trial set out to investigate the brain activity pattern during response inhibition in CHC users. Methods Thirty-four women were randomised to one treatment cycle with a levonorgestrel-containing CHC or placebo. The women performed a Go/NoGo task to measure brain activity during response inhibition by use of event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) prior to and during the CHC/placebo treatment cycle. Results No differences between CHC and placebo users in number of correct inhibitions were found during treatment, but only women on CHC significantly improved their performance between the baseline and treatment assessments. During the treatment cycle CHC users displayed decreased activity in the right middle frontal gyrus in comparison with placebo users. No other significant activations were evident between treatment groups or within groups. Conclusion Overall, CHC use had marginal effects on brain activity during response inhibition. If anything, the findings of the study may suggest reduced effort or increased efficiency in maintaining orbitofrontal cortex inhibitory cognitive control when using a combined oral contraceptive.
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