Neurobiological aspects of womens' reactivity towards emotional cues in dependence of the menstrual cycle

本研究旨在进一步阐明对高度显著的积极情绪刺激（情色图片、正价图片）的反应性的神经生物学基础。从长远来看，其目的是更好地了解荷尔蒙波动与妇女对积极情绪的反应之间的关系，并研究月经周期中反应的变化。这些见解一方面主要与妇女研究相关（也与男女性别差异相关）——因此，例如，它可以对妇女在月经周期的哪个阶段进行检查产生影响——另一方面，结果也与激素避孕药的广泛使用高度实际相关——因为激素避孕药也可能对这种反应性产生重大影响。因此，本研究的目的是调查月经周期中的荷尔蒙波动与高度突出的积极情绪线索的处理之间的关系。这应该通过脑电图和事件相关电位（ERPs）分析来测试。该部门之前的一项研究报告的结果表明，女性对与较高雌二醇浓度相关的动机显著性（“晚期正电位”-“LPP”）的ERP中的情绪性词语表现出更大的反应（Munk等人，2018），应该是延伸的：刺激材料应该是不同的（色情的，积极的和中性的）图片，并计划收集雌二醇，黄体酮和睾酮激素。此外，芳香化酶也计划进行分析，因为它是催化从睾酮到雌二醇代谢的酶。因此，睾酮很有趣，因为它是雌二醇和芳香化酶的前体，因为（直到现在还没有答案的）问题是，雌二醇的浓度一方面取决于可用的睾酮和/或芳香化酶的浓度。这与对情绪刺激的反应性的关系还没有被研究过，这是非常有趣的，因为睾酮的浓度在月经周期中应该是相对恒定的：因此，芳香化酶可能是影响雌二醇可用浓度的关键分子。本科对雌二醇、黄体酮、睾酮的测定已有较长时间，初步建立唾液中芳香化酶的系统分析程序（目前只能通过血液样本进行分析）。此外，使用激素避孕药（雌二醇和孕激素，“微丸”）的妇女也将以同样的方式进行研究，因此，一方面作为对照组，另一方面可以调查激素避孕药如何影响情绪反应。

Present project is supposed to further elucidate neurobiological basics regarding the reactivity towards highly salient positive emotional stimuli (erotic pictures, positive valent pictures). In the long run, it is aimed to better understand associations of hormonal fluctuations with the reactivity towards positive emotions in women, as well as to study the variations in reactivity during the menstrual cycle. These insights are, on one hand, on principal relevant regarding studies in women (as well as regarding sex differences between men and women) - so it could for example make a difference at which phase during the menstrual cycle, women are being examined - on the other hand, results are also highly practically relevant regarding the broad use of hormonal contraceptives - as hormonal contraception could also have a great influence on this reactivity. The aim of this study is, therefore, to investigate, how hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle are associated with the processing of highly salient positive emotional cues. This is supposed to be tested using electroencephalography and the analyses of event-related potentials (ERPs). Results that have been reported in a former study from this department, which showed that women showed greater responsivity towards emotional words in an ERP which is related to motivational salience (the 'late positive potential' - "LPP") in association with higher estradiol-concentrations (Munk et al., 2018), are supposed to be extended: the stimulus material is supposed to be different (erotic, positive and neutral) pictures, and the hormones estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone are planned to be collected. Furthermore, aromatase is planned to be analyzed as well, as it is the enzyme that catalysts the metabolism from testosterone to estradiol. Testosterone is therefore, interesting because it is the precursor of estradiol, as well as aromatase, because the (until now unanswered) question is, in which way the concentration of estradiol - is on the one hand depending on available testosterone- and/or aromatase concentration. This has not been investigated in association with the responsivity towards emotional stimuli and is highly interesting because the concentration of testosterone is supposed to be relatively constant during the menstrual cycle: Therefore, aromatase might be the critical molecule influencing the available concentration of estradiol. While estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone have been measured for a long time in this department, the establishment of a systematic analyzation procedure for aromatase in saliva (until now, it can only be analyzed using blood samples), will be implemented in a preliminary study. Furthermore, women using hormonal contraceptives (estradiol & gestagenes, "micropill"), will be studied in the same way, therefore, on one hand serving as control group, on the other hand, it can be investigated, how hormonal contraception influences emotional reactivity.