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Effects of oral contraceptive pills on mood and magnetic resonance imaging measures of prefrontal cortical thickness

Molecular Psychiatry volume 26, pages 917–926 (2021)Cite this article

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Abstract

Gonadal hormones influence neuronal organization and plasticity. Yet the consequences of altering their concentrations by administering contraceptive agents, which are used by most reproductive-age women in the United States, are unclear. Cross-sectional studies have found both larger and smaller cortical regions alongside a variety of mood alterations in women who use oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) compared to naturally-cycling women. The goal of this study, therefore, was to determine whether there is an effect of OCPs on MRI measures of prefrontal cortical brain structure that may influence regulation of mood. We performed a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover study comparing effects of OCPs (0.15 mg levonorgestrel + 0.30 μg ethinyl estradiol) vs placebo (N = 26) on MRI measures of prefrontal cortical thickness and on mood, as indicated by self-report on the Daily Record of Severity of Problems, which also includes one item related to somatic symptoms. MRI measures that reflect cortical thickness were smaller bilaterally in the pars triangularis and in the pars opercularis and frontal pole of the right hemisphere during the OCP arm vs. placebo. Only the effect in the right pars triangularis survived multiple comparisons correction. Right pars triangularis MRI measures of cortical thickness were not related to mood symptoms, but negatively correlated across conditions with severity of somatic symptoms on the DSRP. The somatic symptoms and MRI measures may be independently related to the actions of steroid hormones in OCPs, with OCPs simultaneously inducing both more effects on MRI measures of cortical thickness and somatic symptoms.

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Fig. 1: CONSORT diagram describing the overall flow of the study.
Fig. 2: OCPs significantly increased BDI scores.
Fig. 3: OCPs reduce right pars triangularis thickness.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by NIDA (R21DA040168 to EDL), the Marjorie Greene Family Trust, and the Thomas P and Katherine K Pike Chair in Addiction Studies (EDL).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, United States

    Nicole Petersen, Nicholas W. Kearley, Dara G. Ghahremani, Jean-Baptiste Pochon, Megan E. Fry & Edythe D. London

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA

    Nicole Petersen, Nicholas W. Kearley, Dara G. Ghahremani, Jean-Baptiste Pochon, Megan E. Fry & Edythe D. London

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA

    Andrea J. Rapkin

  4. Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA

    Edythe D. London

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Petersen, N., Kearley, N.W., Ghahremani, D.G. et al. Effects of oral contraceptive pills on mood and magnetic resonance imaging measures of prefrontal cortical thickness. Mol Psychiatry 26, 917–926 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-00990-2

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