The effect of hormones on mood and cognition has been widely recognized yet often ignored in neurocognitive research. The error-related negativity, an event-related potential supposed to index...Show moreThe effect of hormones on mood and cognition has been widely recognized yet often ignored in neurocognitive research. The error-related negativity, an event-related potential supposed to index performance monitoring, is thought to be driven by dopamine and has been shown to be amplified by anxiety and reduced by mood. The current study utilized a within‐subject design to examine the association between menstrual cycle phase, spontaneous eye blink rate (as putative marker of dopamine) and the error-related negativity. 42 normal-cycling females performed a Flanker task during the early follicular phase, which is characterized by low levels of estrogen and progesterone and during the mid-luteal phase, which is characterized by high levels of estrogen and progesterone. It was hypothesized that females with a lower eye blink rate have a larger error-related negativity in the mid-luteal phase compared to the early follicular phase and females with a higher eye blink rate have a larger error-related negativity in the early follicular phase compared to the mid-luteal phase. Results showed no main or interaction effect of cycle phase and eye blink rate on the ERN. However, there was an interaction of cycle phase and eye blink rate on reaction times and a link between eye blink rate and estrogen in the mid-luteal phase. These findings point to a link between ovarian hormonal fluctuations and dopaminergic functioning and might aid future research in understanding the influence of the menstrual cycle on women’s mental and emotional health.Show less
