To each their own: The different mechanisms underlying the effect of sex hormones on visuospatial and verbal abilities

Abstract

As they easily access the brain, sex hormones are associated with cognitive functions such as visuospatial and verbal abilities. As oral contraceptive (OC) users, naturally cycling women (NC women; not using OC), and men exhibit distinct sex hormone profiles, between-group differences in visuospatial and verbal performance have been observed. To date, the mechanisms underlying these differences remain unknown. Acute levels of sex hormones are thought to have either a fostering or impairing effect on performance on these tasks (e.g., acute levels of testosterone and estradiol enhance and impair visuospatial skills, respectively). Moreover, preliminary results suggest a positive correlation between the duration of OC use and visuospatial performance. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the temporality of the effects of sex hormones on cognition (i.e., through rapid mechanisms, long-term mechanisms, or both). To do so, 201 healthy participants (70 OC, 86 NC, and 45 men) completed tests measuring their visuospatial and verbal fluency abilities. Analyses revealed that men outperformed both groups of women and that OC users outperformed NC women on the visuospatial task. Estradiol levels in men were associated with lower performance, whereas testosterone levels in OC users were related to better performance. Regarding verbal fluency, we found no between-group differences in performance or correlations with acute hormone levels. Interestingly, longer OC use was associated with better verbal fluency in OC users. In sum, acute hormone concentrations appear to modulate visuospatial performance, whereas long-term hormonal changes (i.e., OC use over years) seem to modulate verbal fluency abilities.