Women constitute half of the world's population, yet neuroscience research does not serve the sexes equally. Fifty years of preclinical animal evidence documents the tightly-coupled relationship between our endocrine and nervous systems, yet human neuroimaging studies rarely consider how endocrine factors shape the structural and functional architecture of the human brain. Here, we quantify several blind spots in neuroimaging research, which overlooks aspects of the human condition that impact women's health (e.g. the menstrual cycle, hormonal contraceptives, pregnancy, menopause). Next, we illuminate potential consequences of this oversight: today over 100 million women use oral hormonal contraceptives, yet relatively few investigations have systematically examined whether disrupting endogenous hormone production impacts the brain. We close by presenting a roadmap for progress, highlighting the University of California Women's Brain Initiative which is addressing unmet needs in women's health research.

中文翻译：

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科学知识体系——它为谁服务？聚焦口服避孕药和神经影像学中的女性健康因素

女性占世界人口的一半，但神经科学研究并没有平等地为两性服务。50 年的临床前动物证据证明了我们内分泌系统和神经系统之间的紧密联系，但人类神经影像学研究很少考虑内分泌因素如何塑造人脑的结构和功能结构。在这里，我们量化了神经影像研究中的几个盲点，这些盲点忽略了影响女性健康的人类状况的各个方面（例如月经周期、激素避孕药、怀孕、更年期）。接下来，我们阐明这种疏忽的潜在后果：今天有超过 1 亿女性使用口服激素避孕药，但相对较少的调查系统地检查了破坏内源性激素的产生是否会影响大脑。