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Show notes
After reading something that said her menstrual cycle changes her brain each month, Senior Correspondent Molly Webster goes on a reporting mission to see if that’s true, and, if so, how. This journey into sex hormones and the brain involves females _and_ males, and exacting self-experimentation. It gets into PTSD, and ends with a new twist on self-care (hint: it’s biological). And, it starts to reveal a sneaky truth: that _each one of us_ is at the mercy of a crashing sea of chemicals inside of us – those things we call hormones. _Special thanks to Emily Jacobs,_ [https://www.pennlinc.io/team/laura-pritschet"]( _Laura Pritschet_ _, Pavel Shapturenka, and Dr. Catherine Woolley._ **EPISODE CREDITS:** Hosted by - Molly Webster Reported by - Molly Webster Produced by - Mona Madgavkar with help from - Molly Webster Fact-checking by - Diane A. Kelly **EPISODE CITATIONS:** **Articles -** \*\*_The experiments we feature in this episode are called: 28andMe, 28andOC, and 28andHe, all of which took place at Emily Jacobs lab at the University of California, Santa Barbara.\*\*_ - [https://jacobs.psych.ucsb.edu/research/28-and-me"]( _The 28 Project_ ( background from the Jacobs lab For more on how much variability there is between female and male animals, check out this “groundbreaking” study, referenced by Emily Jacobs in our episode - [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3008499/"]( _Sex Bias in Neuroscience and Biomedical Research_([https://zpr.io/ZRgKZzdNejUA"]( [https://zpr.io/ZRgKZzdNejUA](https://zpr.io/ZRgKZzdNejUA %29,)), by Beery AK, Zucker I., Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2011 Dr. Catherine Woolley has revolutionized the field of neuroscience and sex hormones, here’s more about her work … - [https://www.the-scientist.com/sex-differences-in-the-brain-get-down-to-the-molecular-level-73768"]( _Sex Differences in the Brain Get Down to the Molecular Level Sex_ ([https://zpr.io/UNCLE9J782N5"]( [https://zpr.io/UNCLE9J782N5](https://zpr.io/UNCLE9J782N5 %29,)), by Stephanie DeMarco, PhD, The [http://scientist.com"]( Scientist.com - [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1528-1157.1998.tb02601.x"]( _Hormonal Effects on the Brain_ ([https://zpr.io/DvNM9EkXdtGG"]( [https://zpr.io/DvNM9EkXdtGG](https://zpr.io/DvNM9EkXdtGG %29,)), by Woolley, C.S. and Schwartzkroin, P.A. Epilepsia **Data sets -** - [http://openneuro.org/datasets/ds002674/versions/1.0.6"]( _28andMe and 28andOC_ ([https://zpr.io/hbXVNTVp2Q7j"]( [https://zpr.io/hbXVNTVp2Q7j](https://zpr.io/hbXVNTVp2Q7j %29: )): - [https://openneuro.org/datasets/ds005115/versions/1.2.0"]( _28andHe_ ([https://zpr.io/sZXhfMbMwKb7"]( [https://zpr.io/sZXhfMbMwKb7](https://zpr.io/sZXhfMbMwKb7 %29 )) **Audio -** In the episode, we mention Dr. Russ Poldrack and the Midnight Scan Club, as inspo for self-experimentation - [https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/the-midnight-scan-club/"]( _The Midnight Scan Club_ ([https://zpr.io/CLBhNQSxK844"]( [https://zpr.io/CLBhNQSxK844](https://zpr.io/CLBhNQSxK844 %29,)), by Science Friday. _Signup for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show._ [https://radiolab.org/newsletter"]( _Sign up_ ([https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!](https://radiolab.org/newsletter%29! ) _Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of_ [http://members.radiolab.org"]( _The Lab_ _( today._ _Follow our show on_ [http://instagram.com/radiolab"]( _Instagram_ _,_ [http://twitter.com/radiolab"]( _Twitter_ _and_ [http://facebook.com/radiolab"]( _Facebook_ _@radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing_ [_radiolab@wnyc.org_](mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org)_._ _Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation._ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See [pcm.adswizz.com]( https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.