OHS Study Launches

Congratulations to PhD students Elle Murata and Hannah Grotzinger and the entire OHS team for the launch of the Ovarian Hormone Suppression study! Data collection has begun at UCSB and sister site UC San Diego. 

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Ovarian hormone suppression (OHS), a widely used treatment for endometriosis, offers a unique clinical scenario through which to study the impact of hormonal changes on cognition and brain. OHS is achieved with a gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) analogue, and dramatically depletes ovarian hormones (up to 80%), suppressing the estrogen dependent proliferation of the endometrial tissue. Following OHS, sex hormone levels gradually return to normal; thus, the treatment allows for the temporary, reversible induction of a postmenopausal-like endocrine status, the effects of which can be observed over the course of a few months. The treatment offers a human analogue of animal studies that provide substantial evidence for the neuroprotective effects of ovarian hormones and their influence on memory circuitry.

This new $4.8M project with Co-PI Matt Panizzon (UCSD) funds one of the largest brain imaging studies of the impact of endocrine manipulation on the human brain, with 400 MRI sessions, an expansive fluid biomarker panel, comprehensive neuropyschological tests, immersive virtual reality measures of spatial navigation, multimodal brain imaging (sMRI, fMRI, ASL, DSI, hippocampal subfield imaging), and clinical/mood assessments. Our goal is that this project will make major contributions to our basic understanding of hormone action in the human brain and provide clinical utility for the millions of women world-wide who consider the use of sex hormone-based treatments during their lifetime.