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Estradiol driven change in hallucination proneness across the menstrual cycle as studied with a white noise paradigm

Hjelmervik, Helene; Hausmann, Markus; Bless, Josef J.; Harkestad, Nina; Hugdahl, Kenneth; Laloyaux, Julien

Estradiol driven change in hallucination proneness across the menstrual cycle as studied with a white noise paradigm Thumbnail


Authors

Helene Hjelmervik

Josef J. Bless

Nina Harkestad

Kenneth Hugdahl

Julien Laloyaux



Abstract

The estrogen hypothesis for schizophrenia suggests neuroprotective effects of estrogen for the development of the disorder and for symptom severity, including auditory hallucinations. Furthermore, estrogen has shown enhancing effects on cognitive control, a function that is also implicated in auditory hallucinations. Whether estrogen affects the tendency to hallucinate in healthy participants, and the potential mediating role of cognitive control, has not yet been studied. Therefore, the current study aimed to test these relationships by using a white noise paradigm in combination with a N-back working memory task in which cognitive load could be manipulated. The paradigm used simulates a hallucinatory state by induction of negative emotions and drainage of cognitive resources. The simultaneous exposure to white noise elicit experiences of hearing voices (false alarms). In a between-subject design, forty-two participants were tested during the menstrual cycle in either the early follicular phase (low estradiol) or late follicular phase (high estradiol). A 2(Cycle Phase) x2(N-back task) ANOVA showed a main-effect of cycle phase on number of experienced hallucinations in the white noise task, with a significantly higher number of reported hallucinations in the early follicular phase. Furthermore, estradiol was found to predict number of hallucinations. No interaction effect of cycle phase and available cognitive resources was found. The results suggest an estradiol-related change in hallucination proneness across the menstrual cycle, but the idea that cognitive functioning mediates this relationship was not supported. Overall, the study supports protective effects of estradiol on hallucination proneness in line with the estrogen-hypothesis of schizophrenia, and that such effects are not specific to the disease.

Citation

Hjelmervik, H., Hausmann, M., Bless, J. J., Harkestad, N., Hugdahl, K., & Laloyaux, J. (2024). Estradiol driven change in hallucination proneness across the menstrual cycle as studied with a white noise paradigm. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 159, Article 106410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106410

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Sep 29, 2023
Online Publication Date Sep 30, 2023
Publication Date 2024-01
Deposit Date Oct 5, 2023
Publicly Available Date Oct 24, 2023
Journal Psychoneuroendocrinology
Print ISSN 0306-4530
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 159
Article Number 106410
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106410
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1757607

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