Former Minerva Research Group EGG (Emotion & neuroimaGinG) Lab

explores how subtle hormonal changes impact mood regulation.

White egg with zigzag crack, red circle as background.

Every year nearly twice as many women as men develop a depressive illness. While this suggests that sex hormones play a key role in depression, it is understood neither in depression, nor in health how they affect mood. Eighty percent of women of reproductive age experience some level of irritability and mood fluctuation shortly before their periods. Some of these women suffer from clinical level premenstrual melancholia that can lead to impaired quality of life with disruptions in work and relationships. There is very little public awareness of this issue, which creates a significant barrier to diagnosis and treatment.

Although the etiology of premenstrual depressed mood remains uncertain at present, researchers now concur that these disorders have biological correlates and cannot purely be explained by psychological events. Recent research indicates that women who are vulnerable to premenstrual mood changes do not have abnormal levels of hormones, but rather a particular sensitivity to normal cyclical hormonal changes. Very little is known about how the living brain is influenced by the subtle hormonal changes that occur naturally across the menstrual cycle.

Our findings will help prevent and treat severe premenstrual mood change, and elucidate the link between sex hormones and depression. Our work is supported by the Society in Science, a Branco Weiss fellowship and a Alumni Collaborative Grants to Dr. Julia Sacher, as well as by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, a NARSAD Young Investigator Grant.

Logos of the Branco Weiss Fellowship and the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.

Our Funding

As principal Investigator in total ~ EUR 800.000

2012–2017	Branco Weiss Fellowship, Society in Science (SF 200.000 + SF 300.000).
2010–2011	Humboldt Research Fellowship, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Bonn (EUR 73.000).
2008–2010	National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) Young Investigator Award, USA (US 60.000, operating funds).
2008–2010	Canadian Institutes for Health & Research (CIHR) Fellowship Award (CAD 135.000 incl operating funds).
2007	CAMH Fellowship Award, Canada (CAD 40.000), deferred due to accepting CIHR Fellowship.
200 –2008	Erwin Schroedinger Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (CAD: 82.000).
2003	Scholarship Medical University Vienna.
2002	Scholarship Hans Blanca Moser Scholarship.

Projects

Brain scans with areas highlighted in red and green.

Depression & Neuroplasticity

We explore the neurochemical, functional and structural changes in the human brain that occur during a depressive episode across the lifespan. A better understanding of the risk factors that contribute to heightened vulnerability to depressive mood and the respective neuroplastic changes in the human brain represents the first step towards development of individual prevention and treatment strategies.

Brain scans with areas highlighted in blue and green; a side view of a brain.

Serotonin and Neuroplasticity

While the serotonergic system is thought to be a crucial mediator of intrinsic brain activity, the precise role of serotonin in modulating functional organization of the human brain is not known. To address this question we apply pharmacological challenges and combine multimodal imaging techniques to identify the neurochemical mechanisms underlying functional connectivity in the human brain.

Brain scans showing active areas highlighted in red and yellow.

Sex hormones and Neuroplasticity

Major depressive disorder has a female to male ratio of about 5:2, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a condition of clinical level premenstrual mood change, is characterized by depressive symptoms 2-3 days before the monthly period sets in. However, how sex hormones affect mood is neither understood in depression, nor in health. Our experiments will provide much needed evidence on how the female brain adapts to hormonal fluctuation and the behavioral reflections of these potential neuroplastic changes across the menstrual cycle.