Estudo comportamental e eletroencefalográfico do desempenho da tarefa Go/No-Go ao longo do ciclo menstrual

Abstract

Motor behavior involves the adaptive control of movement and depends on mechanisms arising from perception and cognition that plan and execute different complex movement actions of an innate nature acquired through learning. Steroid hormones, in turn, act as transcription factors participating in signaling pathways and modulation of neural functions, including motor function. Evidence shows that sex steroids influence neurotransmission in the central nervous system, affecting the quality of female performance in motor tasks, highlighting the importance of restriction and motor control in human behavior. The present study investigated whether cortical activity and variations related to skeletal muscle activity present changes in the phases of the menstrual cycle (menstrual, follicular and luteal) in 30 women during a Go/NoGo Protocol. This test included pairs of auditory stimuli (1st stimulus = S1; 2nd stimulus = S2) that were grouped into two general types: centered on S1 and centered on S2. In the S1-centered task, the decision is made after S1 and motor execution/inhibition occurs after S2. In tasks centered on S2, decision making and execution occur only after S2. Cortical activity was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG) in the medial frontal regions (Fz), left center (C3) and center-right (C4) to study specifically the alpha (8-13Hz), beta (15-30Hz) and beta 1 (15-23Hz) rhythms. The relationships between these EEG measures and Go/No-Go behavioral outcomes and ERPs were assessed. Through the Friedman test, behavioral activity significantly differed in reaction time and accuracy between the S1 and S2 centered protocols, but without significant differences regarding menstrual cycle phases. A moderate positive correlation was found between reaction time and progesterone levels in protocol centered on S1. Changes in brain activity with the generation of beta-ERS during movement initiation in the medial frontal region suggest an increase in motor stimulus control associated with the decreased levels of HSFs found in the menstrual phase. Furthermore, beta and alpha oscillations in the left central region were significantly more pronounced in the follicular and luteal phases, suggesting a modulation resulting from the increase in sex hormones, estradiol and progesterone, in the processing and execution of motor tasks. In summary, this pioneering study highlights variations in motor cognition throughout the menstrual cycle in Go/No-Go tasks, which may have implications for optimizing motor performance of women during the reproductive age, providing an important basis for future research and clinical approaches.