---
title: Does how the brain is organized for different tasks change across the menstrual cycle?
description: Yes. The brain's organization for recognizing faces changes across the cycle, but organization for recognizing words stays the same. During menstruation the r
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/shift-of-functional-cerebral-asymmetry-during-the-menstrual-cycle-1989/
---

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- Does how the brain is organized for different tasks change across the menstrual cycle?

Study, 1989

# Does how the brain is organized for different tasks change across the menstrual cycle?

Yes. The brain's organization for recognizing faces changes across the cycle, but organization for recognizing words stays the same. During menstruation the right side dominates for faces, but during the premenstrual phase the left side becomes more involved.

 Early or limited evidence

Women; number not specified

## What they did

Researchers tested how the brain is organized for two tasks: recognizing faces and recognizing words at different phases of the menstrual cycle in a group of women.

## What they found

For face recognition, the brain shifted from right-side dominance during menstruation to left-side dominance during the premenstrual phase. For word recognition, the brain's organization did not change at different cycle phases.

## What it means for you

Some brain abilities may work differently depending on where you are in your cycle. This might explain why you notice changes in your thinking or abilities at different cycle times. The study did not report how many women were tested, which makes it unclear how reliable these findings are.

## About the study

Original title Shift of functional cerebral asymmetry during the menstrual cycle Authors Heister G, Landis T, Regard M et al. Journal Neuropsychologia Year 1989 Study design Study What was tested None Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/0028-3932(89)90010-9](https://doi.org/10.1016/0028-3932(89)90010-9)

## Topics

[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/)

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