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Why sex hormones matter for neuroscience: A very short review on sex, sex hormones, and functional brain asymmetries

Hausmann, M.

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Authors



Abstract

Biological sex and sex hormones are known to affect functional cerebral asymmetries (FCAs). Men are generally more lateralized than women. The effect size of this sex difference is small but robust. Some of the inconsistencies in the literature may be explained by sex-related hormonal differences. Most studies focusing on neuromodulatory properties of sex hormones on FCAs have investigated women during the menstrual cycle. Although contradictions exist, these studies have typically shown that levels of estradiol and/or progesterone correlate with the degree of FCAs, suggesting that sex differences in FCAs partially depend on hormonal state and day of testing. The results indicate that FCAs are not fixed but are hormone dependent, and as such they can dynamically change within relatively short periods throughout life. Many issues raised in this Mini-Review refer not only to FCAs but also to other aspects of functional brain organization, such as functional connectivity within and between the cerebral hemispheres. Our understanding of sex differences in brain and behavior as well as their clinical relevance will improve significantly if more studies routinely take sex and sex hormones into account.

Citation

Hausmann, M. (2016). Why sex hormones matter for neuroscience: A very short review on sex, sex hormones, and functional brain asymmetries. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 95(1-2), 40-49. https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.23857

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jul 12, 2016
Online Publication Date Nov 7, 2016
Publication Date Sep 1, 2016
Deposit Date Jul 12, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Journal of Neuroscience Research
Print ISSN 0360-4012
Electronic ISSN 1097-4547
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 95
Issue 1-2
Pages 40-49
DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.23857

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Copyright Statement
This is the accepted version of the following article: Hausmann, M. (2017), Why sex hormones matter for neuroscience: A very short review on sex, sex hormones, and functional brain asymmetries. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 95(1-2): 40-49, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.23857. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.





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