Estrogen, brain organisation, and cognition in Schizophrenia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The neuromodulatory properties of estradiol with regard to executive function and cerebral organisation in schizophrenia.
IRAS ID
137316
Contact name
Sophie Hodgetts
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Durham University
Research summary
While schizophrenia can affect both men and women, the expression of the illness differs between the sexes. For example, men typically more pronounced cognitive impairments compared to women. This suggests that gonadal steroid hormones may influence vulnerability to schizophrenia. Indeed, estrogen has been purported to serve as a protective agent against schizophrenia. For example, the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenic women have been shown to fluctuate across the menstrual cycle. Further research has revealed atypical asymmetries in the involvement of the left and right hemispheres, in the brains of schizophrenic patients. However estrogen has been shown to influence brain asymmetries.
This project aims to investigate the relationship between estrogen, brain organisation and cognition in patients with schizophrenia. As previous research shows that cognitive symptoms fluctuate according to fluctuations of estrogen, we aim to investigate the neuromodulatory and antipsychotic effects of estrogen on schizophrenic symptoms. We aim to do this using two studies; one examining behaviour directly, and one using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain activity. This research will lead to a greater understanding of the cognitive difficulties found in schizophrenia, and of the potential of sex hormones as protective factors.
We will recruit female schizophrenic patients from the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Trust. Patients must be right-handed, aged 20-40, native English speakers and free from hormonal contraception. For two behavioural sessions, participants will be required to complete a range of executive function tasks (e.g. memory, dichotic listening, response inhibition), and provide saliva samples. Participants who show a strong hormonal effect in this session will be invited to complete the tasks again, during an fMRI scan. This will enable the study to clarify more precisely, the effect of hormones on the brain.REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NE/0067
Date of REC Opinion
23 Apr 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion