This is Your Brain on Hormones
Summary
Radiolab explores how sex hormones dynamically reshape brain structure and connectivity. Neuroscientist Emily Jacobs and grad student Laura Pritchett conducted a study scanning Laura’s brain daily throughout her menstrual cycle, revealing physical changes in the hippocampus and shifts in neural synchronization. They replicated this with Laura’s partner, Pavel, showing men experience similar daily hormonal brain fluctuations. The episode challenges the stereotype of female variability, suggesting these rhythmic hormonal pulses provide essential organizational stability and neuroplasticity fo…
Topics discussed
Intro: Sponsors and the mystery of the 'hormonal' brain
What are hormones? The body's chemical PA system
The problem with static studies and the birth of 28andMe
Laura's experiment: Scanning the brain across a menstrual cycle
Results: Brain connectivity peaks at ovulation
Morphological changes and the effect of birth control
Mood, behavior, and the myth of female volatility
Sponsors: Capital One, NYSCI, and Columbia University Press
Pavel's study: Men's brains also pulse with daily hormones
Comparing cycles: Female regularity vs. male fickleness
Neuroplasticity: Hormones as windows for learning
Estrogen, stress, and potential neuroprotective effects
Hormones as organizing rhythms for the brain
Future tech: Continuous hormone monitoring
Credits, acknowledgments, and outro
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