Influence of Menstrual Cycle Length and Age at Menarche on Symptoms, Cognition, Social Cognition, and Metacognition in Patients with First-Episode Psychosis
Barrau-Sastre, Paula (Universitat de Barcelona)
Birulés, Irene (Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu)
Verdaguer-Rodríguez, Marina (Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu)
López-Carrilero, Raquel (Universitat de Barcelona)
Ferrer-Quintero, Marta (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental)
García-Mieres, Helena (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental)
Díaz-Cutraro, L. (Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu)
Grasa, Eva (Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau)
Pousa, Esther (Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau)
Lorente, Ester (Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental)
Peláez, Trinidad (Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu)
Barrigón, María Luisa (Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío (Sevilla, Andalusia))
Ruiz-Delgado, Isabel (Servicio Andaluz de Salud)
González-Higueras, Fermín (Comunidad Terapéutica Jaén Servicio Andaluz de Salud)
Cid Colom, Jordi (Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Girona)
Gutiérrez-Zotes, Alfonso (Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental)
Cuadras, Daniel (Fundació Sant Joan de Déu)
Usall, Judith (Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu)
Vila-Badia, Regina (Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM))
Barajas Vélez, Ana (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Psicologia Clínica i de la Salut)
Ochoa, Susana (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental)

Date:	2022
Abstract:	A protective effect has traditionally been attributed to estrogen in psychotic disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate cumulative lifetime estrogen by assessing the menstrual cycle length, age at menarche, and years of difference between the onset of psychotic symptoms and the age of menarche, measuring their effects on symptoms, cognition, social cognition, and metacognition. As it was not possible to directly measure cumulative estrogen levels over the lifetime of a patient, the study sample was composed of 42 women with first-episode psychosis; estrogen levels were inferred by the menstrual cycle length, age at menarche, and years of difference between the onset of psychotic symptoms and menarche. All patients were assessed with a battery of questionnaires using the BDI, PSYRATS, PANSS, STROOP, TAVEC, WSCT, IPSAQ, and BCIS questionnaires. The results related to menstrual cycle length showed a relationship with memory; specifically, shorter cycles with semantic strategies (p = 0. 046) and longer cycles with serial strategies in the short term (p = 0. 005) as well as in the long term (p = 0. 031). The results also showed a relationship with perseverative errors (p = 0. 035) and self-certainty (p = 0. 049). Only personalized bias (p = 0. 030) was found to be significant in relation to the age at menarche. When analyzing the differences in years of difference between the age at menarche and the onset of psychotic symptoms, the results indicated lower scores in women with a smaller difference between both events in memory (short-term (p = 0. 050), long-term (p = 0. 024), intrusions (p = 0. 013), and recognition (p = 0. 043)) and non-perseverative errors (p = 0. 024). No relationship was found between symptoms and menstrual characteristics. The investigatory outcomes seem to indicate a relationship between estrogen cumulative effects and the memory domain. More in-depth investigations in the field are necessary in order to improve personalized treatment in women with psychosis.
Grants:	Instituto de Salud Carlos III PI11/01347 Instituto de Salud Carlos III PI14/00044 Instituto de Salud Carlos III PI18/00212
Note:	Altres ajuts: PERIS call (grant no. SLT006/17/00231); the Progress and Health Foundation of the Andalusian Regional Ministry of Health (grant no. PI-0634/2011 and PI-0193/2014); Obra Social La Caixa (RecerCaixa call 2013); CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya; Obra Social Sant Joan de Déu (BML); and FI19/00062 (Ayudas para la Contratación de Personal Predoctoral).
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Schizophrenia ; First psychotic episode ; Hormonal cycle ; Reproductive cycle ; Estrogen ; Memory
Published in:	Women, Vol. 2 Núm. 2 (2022) , p. 135-146, ISSN 2673-4184

DOI: 10.3390/women2020015

12 p, 327.8 KB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Health sciences and biosciences > Institut de Recerca Sant Pau
Articles > Published articles