Women taking OCP has smaller hypothalamus volume

This may be in part because validated methods to quantitatively analyze MRI exams of the hypothalamus have not been available. Michael L. Lipton, M.D., Ph.D., FACR, professor of radiology at the Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center said, "There is a lack of research on the effects of oral contraceptives on this small but essential part of the living human brain, we validated methods for assessing the volume of the hypothalamus and confirm, for the first time, that current oral contraceptive pill usage is associated with smaller hypothalamic volume." In his study, Dr Lipton and colleagues recruited a group of 50 healthy women, including 21 women who were taking oral contraceptives. All 50 women underwent brain MRI, and a validated approach was used to measure hypothalamic volume. "We found a dramatic difference in the size of the brain structures between women who were taking oral contraceptives and those who were not," Dr Lipton said. "This initial study shows a strong association and should motivate further investigation into the effects of oral contraceptives on brain structure and their potential impact on brain function." Other findings from the study, which Dr Lipton described as "preliminary," were that smaller hypothalamic volume was also associated with greater anger and showed a strong correlation with depressive symptoms. However, the study found no significant correlation between hypothalamic volume and cognitive performance. ... DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Deccan Chroniclehttps://www.sbnation.com/users/devakrajints

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