Cognitive Neuroendocrinology
Hormones work in synergy, not isolation. So do we.
At the interesection of brain, behavior & hormones, we explore how neuroendocrine systems influence cognitive processes and mental health. By combining expertise across neuroscience, endocrinology, and psychology, we investigate the dynamic ways hormones shape memory, emotion-regulation, stress-response, and, ultimately, our daily well-being. Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do - reflecting the intricate synergy of the systems we investigate.
Background
Neuroscientists now have unprecedented access to the living human brain using advanced neuroimaging techniques), yet less than 0.5% of over 50,000 published neuroimaging studies account for women's brain health. Our research addresses this critical gap by placing sex, hormones, and diversity at the forefront of neuroscience. From pioneering hormone-brain mapping using 7T MRI to applying longitudinal neuroreceptor PET across the menstrual cycle to advancing inclusive AI approaches in large-scale biobank data, our work illuminates the dynamic interplay between biology and behavior. We prioritize translational insight and the role of hormonal transitions in shaping cognitive and mental health across the lifespan.
Goals
1. Advance Sex- and Hormone-Informed Neuroscience
We aim to integrate sex, gender, and hormonal dynamics into the core of neuroscience, closing long-standing gaps in human neuroimaging by capturing biological variability often overlooked in standard paradigms.
2. Innovate Through Multimodal, High-Resolution Brain Imaging
We aim to push the boundaries of human brain mapping using dense-sampling, high-field MRI (e.g., 7T), and neuroreceptor positron emission tomography (PET), enabling discovery of fine-grained neurobiological changes across hormonal transition phases such as postpartum, perimenopause, and the menstrual cycle.
3. Promote Diversity and Ethical AI in Big Data Neuroscience
We aim to contribute to the development of inclusive, transparent, and sex- and gender-aware artificial intelligence models in large-scale neuroimaging databases, fostering equitable insights into brain health and cognitive resilience across the lifespan.
Discoveries
Did you know that the brain’s connectivity—and even the heart’s rhythm—subtly change across the menstrual cycle? In a recent Science Advances paper, we discuss how natural hormonal fluctuations shape the cross-talk between brain networks and our heart-beat. These interactions may influence mood, stress response, and long-term cardiovascular and neurological health.
Other discoveries include:
- pioneering sex as a discovery variable in multimodal large neuroimaging data-banks, such as in the relationship between obesity, brain health and cognitive performance across the life-span (JAMA Netw Open 2019) & prioritizing diversity, sex, and gender in the application of artificial intelligence (AI) for big multi-organ MR data-bases, such as the UK Biobank and the Human Connectome Project (Science 2023)
- proof of concept for dense sampling of ovarian hormones and human brain architecture including first human evidence of hippocampal subfield dynamics using high-field 7T MRI (Front Neurosci 2015; Nature Mental Health 2023)
- spotlighting neurochemical changes in humans during major hormonal transition phases, such as increases of MAO-A in early postpartum, perimenopause and postpartum depression (JAMA Psych 2010; Neuropsychopharmacology, 2015) & establishing in-vivo serotonin transporter dynamics in the development of biomarker-led treatment strategies for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (Biol Psychiatry 2023)
- establishing first evidence for linking between maternal mood postpartum and infant language development (JAMA Netw Open 2022), highlightening the critical need for early postpartum support and resilience promotion during family transition phases across the lifespan through the intersectional lens of sex hormones, inflammation, and stress (Psychopharmacology 2019)