Neuroimaging the effects of oral contraceptives on the female brain

ongoing

The contraceptive pill has been widely used for over six decades and is one of the most frequently used hormonal contraceptive methods, with approximately 151 million users worldwide. Despite its use, research into its effects on the female brain remains limited, primarily due to historical underfunding and the novelty nature of this research area. The NEUROCONTRA project aims to address this knowledge gap through an innovative, multidisciplinary approach that combines neuroimaging, theoretical neuroscience, neuroendocrinology, and machine learning. This research will pioneer applying advanced whole-brain dynamics analyses to a large-sample neuroimaging dataset, encompassing cross-sectional and longitudinal data from adolescent and adult women. By examining the effects of hormonal contraceptives on brain dynamics across multiple spatiotemporal scales, NEUROCONTRA aims to establish a unifying framework for understanding the changes in brain function induced by contraceptives. The findings could significantly enhance our understanding of the complex interactions between hormonal contraceptives and the female brain, with important implications for neuroscience, clinical practices, societal awareness, and women's rights.