---
title: Does brain activity at rest change across the menstrual cycle in women?
description: Yes. In women, brain activity in thinking and planning areas changed across menstrual cycle phases, while this activity stayed stable in men across testing se
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/sex-differences-and-menstrual-cycle-effects-in-cognitive-and-sensory-resting-2019/
---

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- Does brain activity at rest change across the menstrual cycle in women?

Study, 2019

# Does brain activity at rest change across the menstrual cycle in women?

Yes. In women, brain activity in thinking and planning areas changed across menstrual cycle phases, while this activity stayed stable in men across testing sessions. Brain activity in hearing areas stayed stable in both.

 Early or limited evidence

Naturally cycling women and men (exact sample size not specified)

## What they did

Women had brain scans at rest during three different menstrual cycle phases. Men had three brain scans at different times. Researchers studied two networks: the default mode network active during thinking and planning, and an auditory network involved in hearing.

## What they found

In men, activity in the default mode network stayed the same across scans. In women, this activity varied across menstrual cycle phases. In the auditory network, men and women showed different patterns that remained consistent each time they were tested.

## What it means for you

The brain's resting activity, especially in thinking and planning areas, may shift during the menstrual cycle in women while remaining stable in men. This suggests menstrual hormones affect how the brain works. The main limitation is that this was only a brain imaging study and did not measure whether these brain changes affect actual thinking, memory, or daily experiences.

3

menstrual cycle phases studied in women

2

brain networks examined

## About the study

Original title Sex differences and menstrual cycle effects in cognitive and sensory resting state networks Authors Weis S, Hodgetts S, Hausmann M Journal Brain and cognition Year 2019 Study design Study What was tested None; observational brain imaging across menstrual cycle phases Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2017.09.003](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2017.09.003)

## Topics

[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)

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