<p><a href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/62/6/1166" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Ehrhardt, A.A. (1978)</a> states that</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>A review of the behavioral effects of estrogen has to be divided on the basis of different time periods. During the critical phase of brain differentiation (which is species specific and takes place either before birth or neonatally), various sex hormones have long-term and permanent effects on behavior. Therefore, their action has been termed developmental or organizational. In contrast, hormones in adulthood, after the critical phase has passed, affect reversible changes in behavior and have been called activational.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>An <a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/estrogen-s-role-in-impulsive-behavior/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">article in the Scientific American</a> links to other several studies including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1523" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Smith, C.T., et al. (2014)</a> revealing that</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>greater increases in estrogen levels across the menstrual cycle led to less impulsive decision making.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>whilst <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1096-9861(19990705)409:3%3C438::AID-CNE8%3E3.0.CO;2-5" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Kritzer, M.F. and Kohama, S.G. (1999)</a> states that</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>estrogen increased dopamine innervation in the primate prefrontal cortex.</p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<h2>References</h2>

<p>Ehrhardt, A. A. (1978). <em>Behavioral Effects of Estrogen in the Human Female</em> In: Pediatrics, 62(6);<br>PMID: <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/724354" rel="nofollow noreferrer">724354</a></p>

<p>Kritzer, M.F. and Kohama, S.G. (1999). <em>Ovarian hormones differentially influence immunoreactivity for dopamine beta- hydroxylase, choline acetyltransferase, and serotonin in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of adult rhesus monkeys</em> In: The Journal of Comparitive Neurology, 409(3): pp 438-51;<br>PMID: <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10379829" rel="nofollow noreferrer">10379829</a> DOI: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1096-9861(19990705)409:3%3C438::AID-CNE8%3E3.0.CO;2-5" rel="nofollow noreferrer">10.1002/(SICI)1096-9861(19990705)409:3&lt;438::AID-CNE8>3.0.CO;2-5</a></p>

<p>Smith, C. T., Sierra, Y., Oppler, S. H., &amp; Boettiger, C. A. (2014). <em>Ovarian Cycle Effects on Immediate Reward Selection Bias in Humans: A Role for Estradiol</em> In: Journal of Neuroscience, 34(16): pp 5468-5476; DOI: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0014-14.2014" rel="nofollow noreferrer">10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0014-14.2014</a> </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-24T08:41:22.403Z
2017-03-24T08:41:22.403Z
Chris Rogers
<p>Are any kinds of behavior proved to correlate with estrogen levels? Any studies done on this? Any indications of such correlations?</p>

<p>Various research has shown correlations with testosterone and behavior, and I suppose there should be something for estrogen as well:
<a href="https://cogsci.stackexchange.com/questions/8635/are-any-kinds-of-behavior-proved-to-correlate-with-testosterone-levels">Are any kinds of behavior proved to correlate with testosterone levels?</a></p>

<behavior><correlation>
Are any kinds of behavior proved to correlate with estrogen levels?
Berit Larsen
# Are any kinds of behavior proved to correlate with estrogen levels?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-03-22)

Are any kinds of behavior proved to correlate with estrogen levels? Any studies done on this? Any indications of such correlations?

Various research has shown correlations with testosterone and behavior, and I suppose there should be something for estrogen as well:
[Are any kinds of behavior proved to correlate with testosterone levels?](https://cogsci.stackexchange.com/questions/8635/are-any-kinds-of-behavior-proved-to-correlate-with-testosterone-levels)

**Tags:** behavior, correlation


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-03-24. Score: 1

[Ehrhardt, A.A. (1978)](http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/62/6/1166) states that

> A review of the behavioral effects of estrogen has to be divided on the basis of different time periods. During the critical phase of brain differentiation (which is species specific and takes place either before birth or neonatally), various sex hormones have long-term and permanent effects on behavior. Therefore, their action has been termed developmental or organizational. In contrast, hormones in adulthood, after the critical phase has passed, affect reversible changes in behavior and have been called activational.

An [article in the Scientific American](https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/estrogen-s-role-in-impulsive-behavior/) links to other several studies including [Smith, C.T., et al. (2014)](https://doi.org/10.1523) revealing that

> greater increases in estrogen levels across the menstrual cycle led to less impulsive decision making.

whilst [Kritzer, M.F. and Kohama, S.G. (1999)](https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1096-9861(19990705)409:3%3C438::AID-CNE8%3E3.0.CO;2-5) states that

> estrogen increased dopamine innervation in the primate prefrontal cortex.

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## References

Ehrhardt, A. A. (1978). *Behavioral Effects of Estrogen in the Human Female* In: Pediatrics, 62(6);  
PMID: [724354](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/724354)

Kritzer, M.F. and Kohama, S.G. (1999). *Ovarian hormones differentially influence immunoreactivity for dopamine beta- hydroxylase, choline acetyltransferase, and serotonin in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of adult rhesus monkeys* In: The Journal of Comparitive Neurology, 409(3): pp 438-51;  
PMID: [10379829](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10379829) DOI: [10.1002/(SICI)1096-9861(19990705)409:3<438::AID-CNE8>3.0.CO;2-5](https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1096-9861(19990705)409:3%3C438::AID-CNE8%3E3.0.CO;2-5)

Smith, C. T., Sierra, Y., Oppler, S. H., & Boettiger, C. A. (2014). *Ovarian Cycle Effects on Immediate Reward Selection Bias in Humans: A Role for Estradiol* In: Journal of Neuroscience, 34(16): pp 5468-5476; DOI: [10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0014-14.2014](https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0014-14.2014)


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