Can fluctuations in estradiol affect how we experience the world around us?

Anxiety and worry often emerge during adolescence, a period when the brain is developing rapidly and hormone levels begin to fluctuate. Girls experience anxiety and worry almost twice as often as boys, suggesting that sex hormones may influence how the brain processes emotions.

Daniela’s research explores how estradiol – the most potent form of oestrogen – affects the neural pathways that connect emotions and experiences, thereby shaping what we perceive as safe, threatening or stressful. She has identified neural pathways in the cortex that are sensitive to estradiol and respond to stress, giving rise to negative and frightening emotions. Daniela’s hypothesis is that fluctuations in hormone levels during puberty may affect these newly discovered pathways, potentially increasing vulnerability to anxiety and worry.

Using molecular biology techniques and advanced brain imaging, Daniela and her research group will investigate how estradiol reshapes activity in these neural pathways and cells during development and under stress. By understanding how hormones interact with neural pathways, the researchers hope to shed light on why some people are more vulnerable to anxiety and worry than others. Ultimately, this knowledge could contribute to the development of more effective treatments.

Daniela Calvigioni is an Assistant Professor at Linköping University.