--- title: Do pain and thinking use the same brain regions, and does this change across the menstrual cycle? description: Pain and cognitive tasks activate overlapping brain regions. The interaction between these two does not change across different cycle phases. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/brain-responses-to-painful-electrical-stimuli-and-cognitive-tasks-interact-in-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do pain and thinking use the same brain regions, and does this change across the menstrual cycle? Study, 2022 # Do pain and thinking use the same brain regions, and does this change across the menstrual cycle? Pain and cognitive tasks activate overlapping brain regions. The interaction between these two does not change across different cycle phases. Early or limited evidence 15 healthy women with regular menstrual cycles ## What they did 15 healthy women with regular cycles were tested during 4 different menstrual cycle phases. During each phase, they received electrical pulses (to cause pain) while performing a thinking task. Brain activity was measured using fMRI brain imaging. ## What they found Pain and cognitive task performance both activated the same three brain regions: the left precuneus, left posterior cingulate cortex, and right inferior parietal lobe. The interaction between pain and cognition did not vary across the menstrual cycle phases. ## What it means for you Pain and thinking share brain areas, which may explain why pain interferes with thinking. This interaction stays consistent throughout your cycle and is not affected by hormones. However, this was a small study using artificial electrical stimulation rather than natural pain, so results may not reflect real-world pain. 15 Total women 4 Menstrual phases tested 3 regions Brain regions involved ## About the study Original title Brain responses to painful electrical stimuli and cognitive tasks interact in the precuneus, posterior cingulate cortex, and inferior parietal cortex and do not vary across the menstrual cycle Authors Veldhuijzen DS, Meeker TJ, Bauer D et al. Journal Brain and behavior Year 2022 Study design Study What was tested Electrical stimulation and cognitive task testing across 4 menstrual cycle phases Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1002/brb3.2593](https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.2593) Original abstract Introduction: Bidirectional effects between cognition and pain have been extensively reported. Although brain regions involved in cognitive and pain processing seem to partly overlap, it is unknown what specific brain regions are involved in the interaction between pain and cognition. Furthermore, the role of gonadal hormones on these interacting effects has not been examined. This study investigated brain activation patterns of the interaction between pain and cognition over different phases of the naturally occurring menstrual cycle. Methods: Fifteen healthy normally cycling females were examined over the course of 4 different cycle phases. Sensory stimulation was applied using electrical pulses and cognitive performance was assessed using the Multi-Source Interference Task. Brain imaging consisted of functional magnetic resonance imaging using a repeated measures ANOVA group analysis approach. Results: Sensory stimulation was found to interact with task performance in the left precuneus, left posterior cingulate cortex and right inferior parietal lobule. No effects of cycle phase were observed to interact with main effects of stimulation, task or interaction effects between task performance and sensory stimulation. Conclusion: Potential neural correlates of shared resources between pain and cognition were demonstrated providing further insights into the potential mechanisms behind cognitive performance difficulties in pain patients and opening avenues for new treatment options including targeting specific cognitive factors in pain treatment such as cognitive interference. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Systematic review, 2025 Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS? Case-control study, 2026 How do thinking, mood, and work change across the cycle in women with and without period pain? Survey study, 2026 What menstrual cycle symptoms do people experience and how much do they interfere with daily life? Survey study, 2025 Do menstrual problems and poor sleep affect mood and thinking in teenage girls? Study, 2025 Do women have different symptom patterns before, during, and after menopause? Cohort study, 2025 Do pain sensitivity and negative thinking explain how trauma and stress cause PMS or PMDD? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗