Discovery: Hormonal changes affect women's memory

It is reflected in women’s decisions. Such conclusion was made by the researchers from Concordia University. Their experiment involved 45 women with regular menstrual cycles. Participants answered the questions about menstruation, contraceptive use, pregnancy, hormonal medications taken and lifestyle, The Times of India reports.

After that the women were tested for verbal memory. They memorized word lists. Also the participants were offered to execute a computer task for navigation. The women looked for the exit from the labyrinth. There were a few solutions for puzzle. The scientists have noticed that the participants, who had the ovulation phase, coped better with the tests for verbal memory, but women with the premenstrual phase coped better with the navigation task.

So, apparently, women choose strategies to solve problems, depending on the phase of the menstrual cycle. Previous studies have shown that at high levels of estrogen female rodents use one strategy to find an exit from the labyrinth, and at low – another one. The researchers report that estrogen and progesterone affect parts of the brain associated with memory in rats.

 Source: MEDdaily