Anira Escrichs is a postdoctoral researcher in the Computational Neuroscience Research Group at the Centre for Brain and Cognition (CBC) at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF). Holder of an undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Barcelona (UB) and a PhD in Computational Neuroscience from UPF, her research interests include neuroimaging, computational neuroscience, women’s health, ageing and brain disorders.

Escrichs is currently leading the research project entitled “Neuroimaging the Female Brain: How ovarian hormones modulate brain dynamics along women’s lifespans” (NEURO-FEM), which explores the impact of ovarian hormones –such as those produced during the menstrual cycle–, the use of birth control pills and menopause on brain function in women. The project has received a grant of €296,250 from 3Cat’s La Marató Foundation, as part of its 2023 edition dedicated to sexual and reproductive health.

The cross-border research group also includes researchers from the Sex and Gender Lab in the University of Salzburg’s Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience.

What led you to start the NEURO-FEM project? What does it involve and what insight could it provide into the relationship between ovarian hormones and brain dynamics in women?

The origin of the NEURO-FEM project lies in the need to understand how hormonal shifts modulate brain dynamics along women’s lifespans. We have analysed different phases of the menstrual cycle, the impact of hormonal contraceptives and menopause.

Each menstrual cycle, each birth control pill, each stage of menopause are like little hormonal symphonies that conduct the brain in a unique manner. Our aim is to decipher those symphonies and reveal the patterns of cerebral activity that the hormones orchestrate.

Unlike previous studies, which focused on individual regions of the brain, this project adopts a holistic approach, analysing how hormones modulate connectivity and dynamics throughout the brain. This focus will lead to a better understanding of how hormonal shifts influence brain health in women, opening the door to new diagnostic tools and personalised treatments.

During the menstrual cycle and menopause, women’s bodies undergo changes. However, little is known about their effects on brain dynamics, the central topic of this study. Why do they also have an impact on the female brain?

The brain is an organ that is highly sensitive to hormones. Estradiol and progesterone act like messengers that travel around the body, reach the brain and modulate its activity. During the menstrual cycle, these hormones fluctuate and may affect energy, mood and the ability to concentrate. Some women experience premenstrual syndrome, with symptoms such as irritability, anxiety and sadness, which are a manifestation of the impact of hormones on the brain.

When a woman takes hormonal contraception, the hormonal levels remain constant thanks to the introduction of synthetic hormones. However, how does this artificial stability affect the brain? We still don’t know. During menopause, hormonal levels decrease, and certain women experience brain fog, memory problems and trouble sleeping. These changes aren’t just psychological, but proof of how hormones influence brain function.

Some women experience premenstrual syndrome, with symptoms such as irritability, anxiety and sadness, which are a manifestation of the impact of hormones on the brain

If all women experience these hormonal changes, why are there so few studies on their impact on the brain? Has gender bias affected research?

Surprising, isn’t it? This is due to an historical gender bias in scientific research. For decades, the male brain played a central role in neuroscientific studies, while research into the female brain was pushed to the background, as it was considered too complex and variable because of the hormonal fluctuations. It’s time for a change, which is the purpose of this project. We want to unlock the secrets of the female brain and ensure that the science of the future is more inclusive and equal.

How do you analyse the participants’ brains? What can you see with the techniques you use?

Imagine the brain is like a bustling city, with thousands of streets and avenues along which information is constantly flowing. With functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we can observe the traffic in this city, identifying which areas become activated and how they communicate.

But that’s not all. With computational neuroscience, we build virtual models of this city on which we can perform experiments, such as closing streets or adding traffic lights, to see how the brain responds to hormonal changes. With artificial intelligence, we analyse vast amounts of data to identify hidden patterns. These techniques help us understand how hormones transform the brain’s city, modulating connectivity, dynamics and function.

Based on the expected results, what applications could this research have in fields such as medicine or, more specifically, neuroscience?

It could help diagnose premenstrual syndrome with the same precision as diabetes or predict the risk of cognitive decline during menopause years before it presents. That is our objective. We want to develop more precise and personalised diagnostic tools. We could also use computational models of the brain to facilitate development of non-invasive neurostimulation therapies, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, to alleviate the symptoms of menopause and disorders associated with the menstrual cycle.

It could help diagnose premenstrual syndrome with the same precision as diabetes or predict the risk of cognitive decline during menopause years in advance. That’s what we want to make possible

The study is based on data taken from women ranging in age from 18 to 100. What differences do you expect to find in the different age groups?

This study will provide insight into how the female brain evolves over the various stages of life, from adolescence to old age, and how hormonal shifts influence these changes.

In young women, we expect to identify alterations in brain connectivity over the span of the menstrual cycle, similar to how the landscape of a city changes with the seasons. That could help us explain why certain women experience fluctuations in mood, motivation and attention at different times during their cycle. In addition, the use of hormonal contraception could remodel brain connectivity. One of the aims of the study is to analyse these effects and gain further insight into the possible risks of hormonal contraception from a neuroscientific perspective.

In peri- and postmenopause, we expect to observe a decrease in the connectivity between cerebral networks, which could explain why many women experience cognitive difficulties or have a greater risk of neurodegenerative diseases in these stages. We want to understand the impact these changes have on the female brain in every moment of their lives.

With such a multidisciplinary study, what are the main challenges you are facing in terms of both methodology and data collection and analysis?

The project is highly multidisciplinary, as it involves physicists, engineers, mathematicians, psychologists and neuroscientists. One of the main challenges lies in integrating such diverse fields, as each discipline has its own language and approach. That’s why it is essential to establish effective communication and develop common tools that make working in a coordinated manner possible.

As for the data, we are working with information on over 1,000 women, from several databases and international associates. Yet while analysing such a large amount of data is a challenge, we have the cutting-edge infrastructure and techniques to do so.

The project is highly multidisciplinary, as it involves physicists, engineers, mathematicians, psychologists and neuroscientists

What cerebral indicators do you hope to identify and how could they help improve women’s health, particularly in diagnosing and treating disorders related to hormonal changes?

Neuroimaging biomarkers are like the brain’s fingerprints. We want to identify the fingerprints from each stage of women’s lives, from the onset of menstruation to menopause.

These biomarkers could help diagnose disorders such as premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder, understand how hormonal contraception affects the brain and enable women to make more informed decisions about which method of birth control is most suitable for them. They could also detect the early signs of cognitive impairment associated with menopause, facilitating preventive strategies and personalised treatment.

Another aim of the project is to close the gender gap in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Medicine). How do you integrate this aspect into your project and what opportunities for training and growth have been created for women in this field?

This project is deeply committed to gender equality in science, as not only does it study the female brain, but it also serves to heighten the visibility of women scientists. We encourage the participation of women in STEM, in which a wide gap continues to exist. Women are still under-represented in these fields, and we want to do our part to change this reality. That’s why we created a team led by women, in which the principal investigators from each institution are women. Altogether, our work team is comprised of eight women and three men.

Therefore, the objective is not only to generate scientific knowledge, but also to foster a structural change in research. We want girls and young women to see that science is also a woman’s job, that women can also be leaders in fields such as neuroscience and artificial intelligence. The science of the future must be diverse and equal, and we want to be part of that change.

We want girls and young women to see that science is also a woman’s job, that women can also be leaders in fields such as neuroscience and artificial intelligence. The science of the future must be diverse and equal, and we want to be part of that change

In addition to UPF, are there any other institutions or international associates involved in the project? How do the different experiences complement one another in this research?

Yes, the participants include the Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience Research Group at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and the Sex and Gender Lab in the University of Salzburg’s Cognitive Neuroscience Centre.

Each institution brings its experience and knowledge to approach this research project as a synergy. The research group at UPF is a leader in computational neuroscience and cerebral modelling, while the group from the University of Salzburg is a leader in the study of how hormones and the use of birth control pills influence the brain.

This international partnership makes it possible to address the complexity of the female brain from different perspectives, enriching our research and speeding up progress towards new discoveries.

How has the financing from La Marató influenced the project’s launch and what percentage of the total does this grant cover?

The financing from TV3’s La Marató [fundraising event], with a grant worth €296,250, was key to the launch of the project. These funds have enabled us to hire two STEM researchers, promoting the presence of women in scientific settings. One of them will write a PhD thesis related to the project.

Furthermore, this financing allows us to disseminate our results in scientific journals and at international congresses, thereby ensuring that our findings reach both the scientific community and society. This dissemination will be key to establishing cooperation with international experts and informing future developments in women’s brain health.

How do you expect neuroscience and artificial intelligence in brain research to evolve in the coming years and how important are these technologies for your project?

In the years ahead, the combination of neuroscience and AI will revolutionise the study of the brain, making it possible to analyse huge amounts of data more precisely and identifying subtle patterns. In this project, AI is key: we use automatic learning algorithms to predict how hormones will affect brain dynamics and stratify women into groups based on biomarkers. This could help anticipate the risk of hormonal and cognitive disorders. In short, the integration of AI, neuroimaging and computational modelling will be essential to making diagnoses and treatments more precise and more personalised.