– A new study found that men have a daily cycle of hormone levels that is linked to changes in brain volume over the course of a day.
– The study involved 40 brain scans over 30 days of one 26-year-old man, with scans done in the morning and evening to coincide with peaks and troughs of testosterone, cortisol and estrogen.
– Brain volume and thickness of the cortex were found to decrease between morning and evening scans, in line with falling hormone levels. Gray matter and regions involved in movement, sensing, and memory storage also shrank.
– The degree of shrinkage matched what’s known about the daily decline in male steroid hormone levels, suggesting hormones may play a role in driving the brain changes. However, a direct link cannot be determined from this study.
– By night, the brain appears to reset, starting the cycling pattern again the next morning in sync with hormone fluctuations over 24 hours.
– Further research could explore links to sleep patterns and how daily brain cycling may relate to health conditions like metabolic disease and mental health issues.
Source: Live Science
