Study Finds Key Brain Region Smaller in Borth Control Pill Users
http://press.rsna.org/timssnet/media/pressreleases/14_pr_target.cfm?ID=2136
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The first study to examine the effects of oral contraceptives on the structure of the living human hypothalamus found that women taking birth control pills had significantly smaller hypothalamus volume.
The hypothalamus helps regulate essential bodily functions including body temperature, mood, appetite, sex drive, sleep cycles and heart rate.
Smaller hypothalamic volume was also associated with greater anger and showed a strong correlation with depression.
associated with greater anger
strong correlation with depression
…
In his study, Dr. Lipton and colleagues recruited a group of 50 healthy women, including 21 women who were taking oral contraceptives. All 50 women underwent brain MRI, and a validated approach was used to measure hypothalamic volume.
"We found a dramatic difference in the size of the brain structures between women who were taking oral contraceptives and those who were not," Dr. Lipton said. "This initial study shows a strong association and should motivate further investigation into the effects of oral contraceptives on brain structure and their potential impact on brain function."
Other findings from the study, which Dr. Lipton described as "preliminary," were that smaller hypothalamic volume was also associated with greater anger and showed a strong correlation with depressive symptoms. However, the study found no significant correlation between hypothalamic volume and cognitive performance.
Co-authors are Ke Xun Chen, M.D., Sandie Worley, B.S., Henry J. Foster, B.S., David Edasery, M.D., Shima Roknsharifi, M.D., and Chloe Ifrah, B.A. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and by The Dana Foundation.