Doornweerd Anne Marieke, Baas Joke M P, Montoya Estrella R, van de Vijver Irene, Gerritsen Lotte
Department of Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands; Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands.
Department of Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2024 Dec;170:107174. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107174. Epub 2024 Aug 30.
While hormonal contraceptives (HCs) like oral contraceptive pills (OCs) and intrauterine devices (IUDs) can reportedly influence mood, the evidence is mixed, and the mechanisms remain unclear. Emotion reactivity and regulation processes may be hormone-sensitive and underlie these mood changes. This study sought to investigate the role of the menstrual cycle and HC use in emotion regulation using ERP measures during an emotion regulation paradigm. Participants with a natural cycle (NC) were measured in the mid-follicular and mid-luteal phase (within-subject design, n = 26), and compared with OC (n = 36) and IUD (n = 25) users. The centroparietal late positive potential (LPP) reflected negative emotion reactivity and its modulation by cognitive reappraisal served as a marker for emotion regulation processing. NC participants had a lower LPP amplitude in the mid-luteal compared to the mid-follicular phase. Reactivity to negative emotional stimuli decreased over time in the mid-luteal phase, whereas the HC groups showed sustained LPP activation. Reappraisal led only to significant LPP changes in the mid-follicular phase, and not in the mid-luteal phase or HC groups. Our results showed a specific left frontal activity (FR-LPP) in the contrast that reflected emotion regulation processing. This activity was highest in the mid-follicular phase, and was significantly different from the OC users but not from the IUD group. Higher self-reported PMS symptoms were associated with stronger effects on the reduced mid-luteal LPP activity and with lower FR-LPP amplitude in the mid-follicular phase. No effect of OC phase (active pill use versus pill pause) was found. These findings add insights into the neurophysiological underpinnings of hormone-related mood changes and demonstrate the importance of considering hormonal status and PMS symptoms in emotion research.
虽然据报道，口服避孕药（OCs）和宫内节育器（IUDs）等激素避孕药会影响情绪，但证据不一，其机制仍不清楚。情绪反应性和调节过程可能对激素敏感，并构成这些情绪变化的基础。本研究旨在使用事件相关电位（ERP）测量方法，在情绪调节范式中探究月经周期和激素避孕药的使用在情绪调节中的作用。对处于自然周期（NC）的参与者在卵泡中期和黄体中期进行测量（受试者内设计，n = 26），并与口服避孕药使用者（n = 36）和宫内节育器使用者（n = 25）进行比较。中央顶叶晚期正电位（LPP）反映负性情绪反应性，其通过认知重评的调节作为情绪调节过程的标志。与卵泡中期相比，NC参与者在黄体中期的LPP波幅较低。在黄体中期，对负性情绪刺激的反应性随时间降低，而激素避孕药组的LPP激活持续存在。重评仅在卵泡中期导致LPP显著变化，在黄体中期或激素避孕药组则未导致显著变化。我们的结果显示，在反映情绪调节过程的对比中存在特定的左额叶活动（FR-LPP）。这种活动在卵泡中期最高，与口服避孕药使用者有显著差异，但与宫内节育器组无显著差异。自我报告的经前综合征（PMS）症状越严重，对黄体中期LPP活动降低的影响越强，且在卵泡中期的FR-LPP波幅越低。未发现口服避孕药阶段（服用活性药丸与停药）的影响。这些发现为激素相关情绪变化的神经生理学基础提供了新见解，并证明了在情绪研究中考虑激素状态和经前综合征症状的重要性。
