Data_Sheet_1_Opposite effects of estradiol and progesterone on woman's disgust processing.docx

BackgroundOvarian hormones play a critical role in emotion processing, which may be a major reason for the high rates of major depressive disorders in women. However, the exact roles of estradiol and progesterone in emotional processing remain unclear. To this end, we performed behavioral and rs-fMRI studies on the effects ovarian hormones on disgust emotion.
MethodsIn Experiment 1, 95 Chinese female undergraduates completed the single category implicit association test (SC-IAT) and explicit measures of disgust intensity task, 32 in the menstrual phase, 30 in the follicular phase, and 33 in the luteal phase. In Experiment 2, A total of 25 healthy female undergraduates completed three sessions of the rs-fMRI. The menstrual group was scanned during cycle days 2–5, the follicular group during cycle during days 10–13, and the luteal group was scanned 3–7 days before the next menstruation.
ResultsThe behavioral results showed that women during the luteal phase had higher D scores and shorter response times (RTs) to disgust stimuli compared to the menses and follicular phases. In contrast, women during the follicular phase had fewer feelings of disgust and longer RTs to pathogen stimuli compared with that during the menses and luteal phases, but this effect was moderated by the intensity of the stimuli. rs-fMRI studies showed that women during the luteal phase have higher functional connectivity in the salience network than those in the follicular phase. Compared with the menstrual phase, women have lower functional connectivity in the amygdala during the follicular phase.
ConclusionIn summary, a more negative attitude to disgust stimuli and the enhanced functional connectivity of the salience network during the luteal phase may be associated with high progesterone levels, whereas lower disgust feelings and reduced functional connectivity of the amygdala during the follicular phase may be associated with high estradiol levels.

研究背景：卵巢激素在情绪加工过程中发挥关键作用，这或许是女性重度抑郁症患病率偏高的核心诱因。然而，雌二醇与孕酮在情绪加工中的具体作用仍未明晰。为此，本研究开展行为学与静息态功能磁共振成像（rs-fMRI）研究，以探究卵巢激素对厌恶情绪的影响。
研究方法：实验1共招募95名中国女性本科生，受试者完成单类别内隐联想测验（single category implicit association test, SC-IAT）以及厌恶强度外显评定任务；其中月经期组32人、卵泡期组30人、黄体期组33人。实验2共招募25名健康女性本科生，完成三次静息态功能磁共振成像扫描：月经期组于月经周期第2~5天进行扫描，卵泡期组于周期第10~13天实施扫描，黄体期组则于下次月经来潮前3~7天完成扫描。
研究结果：行为学结果显示，相较于月经期与卵泡期组，黄体期组女性对厌恶刺激的D得分更高、反应时（response times, RTs）更短。与之相反，相较于月经期与黄体期组，卵泡期组女性对病原体相关刺激的厌恶感受更弱、反应时更长，但该效应受刺激强度的调节。静息态功能磁共振成像结果表明，黄体期组女性的突显网络（salience network）功能连接水平高于卵泡期组；相较于月经期组，卵泡期组女性的杏仁核（amygdala）功能连接水平更低。
研究结论：综上，黄体期个体对厌恶刺激的消极态度更强、突显网络功能连接增强，或与孕酮水平升高相关；而卵泡期个体的厌恶感受更弱、杏仁核功能连接降低，则可能与雌二醇水平升高有关。