High progesterone levels facilitate women’s social information processing by optimizing attention allocation

摘要: Ovarian hormones exert an influence on social information processing, in which, however, the exact roles of estradiol and progesterone remain unclear. This study examines specific influences these two ovarian processing across menstrual cycle using emotional face flanker task attentional network test (ANT). Twenty-six naturally cycling, healthy women were tested thrice: during menses, follicular phase, luteal phase. In task, a significant positive relation was found between levels reaction times (RTs) for sad faces, suggesting that high may activate monitoring system allocate more attention to stimulus, which benefits individuals' survival adaptation. ANT, increase RTs accuracy this by exerting relatively conservative strategy allocating targets. Taken together, findings indicate facilitate optimizing allocation. Moreover, overactivation make susceptible stressors promote affective disturbances, provide underlying pathophysiology premenstrual dysphoric disorder.