Pilot Study on How Menstrual Cycle Hormones Affect Motor Cortex Plasticity Using TMS in Healthy Adults Ages 20 to 40

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating how the menstrual cycle affects brain motor cortex plasticity and exploring differences between males and females. The study aims to understand how hormone levels interact with brain responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation TMS in healthy young adults aged 20 to 40. This observational project focuses on normal menstrual cycles and hormone effects on brain activity. Participants include healthy males and females, with females required to have regular menstrual cycles and not be on hormonal medications. Female participants will use at-home urine tests to monitor hormone levels across their cycle. The study involves four visits over one to two months for surveys, blood draws, and various TMS procedures including motor threshold testing, paired-pulse stimulation, single-pulse TMS, and intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation iTBS. During visits, participants will complete surveys about hormonal history and safety assessments, and provide blood samples. Researchers will measure brain responses to TMS across menstrual phases in females and comparable timepoints in males. The main outcomes include single-pulse TMS and paired-pulse stimulation data collected over three visits within about two months. This study monitors brain plasticity changes in relation to hormones and sex.

Menstrual Cycle TMS Plasticity Pilot