Let's Talk About Women

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month - so Let's Talk About Endometriosis!In this conversation, Elle Murata, PhD researcher in the Cognitive Neuroendocrinology Lab at the University of California, is sharing insights into neuroscience research on endometriosis.What is endometriosis? Why is it important to consider endometriosis in neuroscience research? How are Elle and her research group exploring the topic? Elle is here to answer all these questions! In addition, she talks about the challenges of this research, her experiences as a young researcher and what she envisions for the future field. Visit the Cognitive Neuroendocrinology Jacob's Lab website here: https://jacobs.psych.ucsb.edu/If you would like to get in touch with Elle, you can find her here: https://jacobs.psych.ucsb.edu/people/elle-murata... or reach her at: elle.murata@psych.ucsb.eduTimestamps:00:26 Introduction of our guest Elle Murata and her field of research01:48 What is endometriosis?08:17 Why is it important to investigate endometriosis from a neuroscientific point of view?14:15 Elle's neuroscience research project on endometriosis24:39 Aims & hypotheses of the project26:29 Possible implications32:35 Challenges of this research topic35:58 Summary38:55 Closing remarks & future directions in research39:50 Elle's experience as a young researcherOutline & questions: Franziska WeinmarSound recording: Franziska Weinmar with the equipment of the IRTG2804Editing: Franziska WeinmarDo you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: irtg2804.podcast@gmail.comAre you intrigued by this topic and want to be kept updated? Follow us on twitter: @irtg2804 or instagram: @irtg2804

How do hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle or when using oral contraceptives ("the pill") affect cognitive functions? In this episode, Franziska speaks with Prof. DDr. MMMag. Belinda Pletzer (Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg), a leading expert in cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology, especially when it comes to hormone-brain interactions. With a diverse background spanning biology, psychology, philosophy, and mathematics, Belinda's research focuses particularly on the effects of sex hormones and gender-related aspects of neuroscience, such as the effects of hormonal contraceptives on the female brain.Together we explore if and how cognitive performance and brain activity are affected by the menstrual cycle, premenstural syndrome (PMS), and oral contraceptives. Belinda also shares her hypothesis on hormonal sensitivity across the female lifespan and whether more or actually less sensitivity could be a risk factor for mental health. As always, we conclude with an outlook on how our guest envisions the future development of the research field. Join us for a deep dive into this enlightening conversation - and find out if the myth that all women are affected by the menstrual cycle holds true...Visit the website of Belinda's research group: https://ccns.plus.ac.at/labs/sexandgender/... and Belinda's profile: https://ccns.plus.ac.at/labs/sexandgender/members/belinda_pletzer/If you would like to get in touch with Belinda, you can reach her at: Belinda.Pletzer@plus.ac.atTimestamps:00:27 Introduction of Belinda Pletzer and her field of research02:20 The menstrual cycle and its phases05:18 Oral contraceptives and their influence on the menstrual cycle08:20 How do we define cognitive functions?10:24 Investigating cognitive functions - Belinda's research12:58 Does the menstrual cycle affect cognitive performance?22:28 Belinda's research on PMS, mood and cognitive performance33:08 Do oral contraceptives affect cognitive performance?41:11 Hot Topic: Hormonal sensitivity - Belinda's hypothesis46:30 Summary49:54 Closing remarks and future directions in research Outline & questions: Franziska WeinmarSound recording: Franziska Weinmar with the equipment of the IRTG2804Editing: Franziska WeinmarDo you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: irtg2804.podcast@gmail.comAre you intrigued by this topic and want to be kept updated? Follow us on twitter: @irtg2804 or instagram: @irtg2804

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) approximately affects 2-5% of women around the world. In this episode we have Dr. Liza Kaltsouni, postdoc at Uppsala University, Department of Women's and Children's Health, as an expert in our podcast. During her PhD, Liza Kaltsouni conducted research on PMDD and collected various data, including brain data in the MRI scanner. This has influenced her holistic perspective on PMDD and the multimodal network approach needed to understand this multimodal disorder. In addition to pursuing such a multimodal approach for future research on PMDD, Liza emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary work and the inclusion of the people for whom the research is intended. Following the motto “nothing good is easy”, Liza calls on us to listen more. And you can start today - by listening to this enlightening conversation!Timestamps:00:27 Introduction of our guest Dr. Liza Kaltsouni & her field of research01:46 What is premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and how is it differed to premenstrual syndrome (PMS) ?05:57 What do we know about underlying causes of PMDD?12:13 Hormonal sensitivity hypothesis18:22 What do we know about PMDD & brain structure + function?27:57 Multimodal study project & findings of Liza Kaltsouni37:55 Implications of Liza's research41:10 Current available treatment for PMDD44:59 Outlook: Upcoming treatment possibilities for PMDD?48:50 Summary52:27 Closing remarks & future directions in research Want to get in touch with Liza?elisavet.kaltsouni@uu.sehttps://www.uu.se/en/contact-and-organisation/staff?query=N19-2428Sound recording: Franziska Weinmar at Recording Studio Blasenhus, Uppsala University Editing: Franziska WeinmarDo you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: irtg2804.podcast@gmail.comAre you intrigued by this topic and want to be kept updated? Follow us on twitter: @irtg2804 or instagram: @irtg2804

Let's Talk WITH Young Researchers: our podcast sideline in which we give the word to young researchers in the field of women's mental health!In this episode, meet Hanna Wierenga, PhD Candidate in the IRTG2804, who is working with Prof. Pia Schober (Tübingen) and Prof. Alkistis Skalkidou (Uppsala) on gender identity and ideologies and mental health, specifically during and after pregnancy.We talk about Hanna's PhD projects and journey so far, how she deals with setbacks and that a PhD is like detective work. In the end of the podcast, Hanna answers our quick "3 Burning Questions":Who is your science crush? What did you not know/expect before starting a PhD? What do you enjoy most about your work as a PhD researcher? Do you want to get in touch with Hanna Wierenga? Reach out to: hanna.wierenga@uu.se Sound recording: Franziska Weinmar at Recording Studio Blasenhus, Uppsala University Editing: Franziska WeinmarDo you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: irtg2804.podcast@gmail.comAre you intrigued by this topic and want to be kept updated? Follow us on twitter: @irtg2804 or instagram: @irtg2804

Despite being one of the major hormonal transition phases in the female lifespan, menopause is still underrepresented in medicine and research. Fortunately, this is changing - among others due to our guest, Dr. Claudia Barth, senior researcher at Diakonhjemmet Hospital and the Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research in Oslo, who is an expert on female hormonal transitions and their effect on the brain and mental illness. In this episode Franziska sits down with Claudia to demystify menopause, asking about symptoms, mental health, and what we know about changes in the brain during the menopause transition. Also, they dive into why menopause has remained a blind spot in neuroscience so far and why this matters. With a glimpse into Claudia’s ERC grant on “Mapping Perimenopause", this episode offers a hopeful vision for future research on women’s health, where menopause is finally getting the attention it deserves. Website to the ENIGMA consortium: https://enigma.ini.usc.edu/Website to the ENIGMA Neuroendocrinology workgroup: https://enigma.ini.usc.edu/ongoing/enigma-neuroendocrinology/Website to the ENIGMA Early Onset Psychosis workgroup: https://enigma.ini.usc.edu/ongoing/enigma-eop-working-group/If you would like to get in touch with Claudia, you can reach her at: claudia.barth@medisin.uio.no... or find her work at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Claudia-BarthTimestamps:00:27: Introducing Dr. Claudia Barth and her field of research02:17: How do we define menopause?05:38: What happens during menopause?11:40: Menopause and the brain17:35: Vulnerabilities and associated diseases21:32: Why do we know so little? Menopause and research31:55: Menopause and mental health43:22: Outlook: Claudia's ERC Project on "Mapping Perimenopause"50:56: Summary54:06: Closing remarks and future directions in research Outline & questions: Franziska WeinmarSound recording: Franziska Weinmar with the equipment of the IRTG2804Editing: Franziska WeinmarDo you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: irtg2804.podcast@gmail.comAre you intrigued by this topic and want to be kept updated? Follow us on twitter: @irtg2804 or instagram: @irtg2804

After our summer break we're back to talk about women! In this episode we dive into the period of adolescence with Dr. Jolien Trekels, who is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of North Carolina. Jolien unpacks how the adolescent brain and body develop during this critical period and explains the complex effects of social media on well-being, from the negative to the positive. Through a bio-psycho-social lens, Jolien and Franziska discuss state-of-the-art insights into mental health and gender differences on how today’s youths interact with social media. We end this episode as always with a look ahead and Jolien's thoughts on the future directions in this research field. Timestamps:00:27 Introduction of Dr. Jolien Trekels02:12 About adolescence: How is this period characterized? 03:32 Changes in the brain and the body08:50 What is (social) media?11:09 Negative effects of social media on well-being15:09 The "Swiss cheese model"17:09 Positive effects and negative effects of social media in adolescence29:07 Sex/gender differences in social media use patterns and mental health37:38 Influence of hormones on adolescent girls regarding their social media use39:45 Summary42:30 Closing remarks & future directions in researchOutline & questions: Edita Karavidaj & Franziska WeinmarSound recording: Franziska Weinmar with the equipment of the IRTG2804Editing: Franziska WeinmarDo you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: irtg2804.podcast@gmail.comAre you intrigued by this topic and want to be kept updated? Follow us on twitter: @irtg2804 or instagram: @irtg2804