Bulletin of the Russian Military Medical AcademyBulletin of the Russian Military Medical Academy1682-73922687-1424Eco-Vector7130810.17816/brmma71308Research ArticleInfluence of sexual cycle phases on cognitive abilities and physical enduranceFilippovaElena B.<p>candidate of biological sciences, associate professor associate</p>vmeda-nio@mil.ruLesovaElena M.<p>lecturer</p>vmeda-nio@mil.ruMurgaevaNatalya V.<p>senior lecturer</p>vmeda-nio@mil.ruMilitary Medical Academy named after S.M. Kirov of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation150620212321071120406202104062021Copyright © 2021, Filippova E.B., Lesova E.M., Murgaeva N.V.2021<p>We researched the dependence of cognitive abilities, mostly connected to functions of right and left hemispheres, and physical endurance on phases of sexual cycle. We discovered that on the first day of the cycle the number of correct tasks, connected with functions of the right hemisphere, was bigger than in the middle of the cycle, while no difference was detected in tasks, connected with functions of the left hemisphere. In the beginning of the cycle all test subjects correctly answered more "right hemisphere" questions, than during the ovulation phase, in the middle of the cycle the majority of test subjects correctly answered more "left hemisphere" tasks. We assume that sexual steroids moderate functional differences, connected with functions of right and left hemisphere. Precisely, low level of sexual steroids in the beginning of the cycle helps to activate functions of the right hemisphere, while steroids concentration in the middle of the cycle stops those functions. The level of heartbeat under the physical load was bigger in the luteal phase than before the ovulation; with the increase of load the heartbeat decreased before the ovulation and increase in the luteal phase. We assume that increased content of estrogens before the ovulations lead to decrease in physical endurance, while the decrease of concentration of estrogens in the luteal phase increased this endurance. Therefore, influence of sexual steroids helps to activate functions, which characterize specific psychological and physical status of women sex, particularly verbal abilities, lower abilities for visual analysis, and lower physical endurance of women.</p>cognitive abilitiesinterpolar asymmetryphysical endurancepulsesexual cycleкогнитивные способностимежполушарная асимметрияполовой циклфизическая выносливостьчастота сердечных сокращений[Bugaeva NA, Korjagina JuV. Osobennosti vosprijatija vremeni i prostranstva u devushek v razlichnye fazy ovarial’no-menstrual’nogo cikla (OMC). Fundamental’nye issledovanija. 2004;(2):116–118. (In Russ.).][Vol’f NV, Razumnikova OM, Bryzgalov AO, et al. Nejrofiziologicheskie osnovy polovyh razlichij polusharnoj organizacii selektivnogo vnimanija i verbal’noj pamjati. Bjulljuten’ Sibirskogo otdelenija Rossijskoj akademii medicinskih nauk. 2004;(2):82–89. (In Russ.).][Efimova IV, Budyka EV. Adaptacionnye vozmozhnosti organizma u studentok v raznye fazy ovarial’no-menstrual’nogo cikla. Fiziologija cheloveka. 1993;(1):112–118. (In Russ.).][Kareva EN, Oleynikova OM, Panov VO, et al. Jestrogeny i golovnoj mozg. Vestnik Ross. akad. med. Nauk. 2012;67(2):48–59. (In Russ.).][Kuznecov AP. Vzaimootnoshenija mezhdu soderzhaniem polovyh gormonov i psihofiziologicheskimi pokazateljami v pokoe i posle fizicheskoj nagruzki u devushek 18–23 let s razlichnym tonusom vegetativnoj nervnoj sistemy. Chelovek. Sport. Medicina. 2016;16(4):18–26. (In Russ.).][Razumnikova OM, Vol’f NV. Polovye razlichija mezhpolusharnogo vzaimodejstvija pri raspredelennom i napravlennom vnimanii. Zhurnal vysshej nervnoj dejatel’nosti im. IP Pavlova. 2006;56(3):327–333. (In Russ.).][Sitjaeva SM. Dinamika psiho-funkcional’nogo sostojanija devushek v zavisimosti ot fazy menstrual’nogo cikla, individual’no-tipologicheskih i vozrastnyh osobennostej. [abstract dissertation]. Novosibirsk; 2005. (In Russ.).][Vol’f NV, Razumnikova OM. Vremja unimanual’nyh reakcij pri sravnenii lateralizovannyh verbal’nyh stimulov: osobennosti mezhpolusharnyh vzaimodejstvij, svjazannye s polom ispytuemyh. Fiziologija cheloveka. 2002;28(4):21–35. (In Russ.).][9. Hodyrev GN, Cirkin VI. Parametry osnovnyh ritmov EEG v follikulyarnuyu i lyuteinovuyu fazy menstrual’nogo cikla. Vestnik Nizhegorodskogo universiteta im. NI Lobachevskogo. 2012;6–1:76–82. (In Russ.).][Cvetovskij SB. Polusharnye razlichija srednelatentnyh akusticheskih vyzvannyh potencialov u muzhchin i zhenshhin. Fiziologija cheloveka. 2007;3(1):131–134. (In Russ.).][Bogolepova IN. Strukturnaya asimmetriya rechedvigatel’nyh polej 44 i 45 kory mozga cheloveka v postnatal’nom ontogeneze. Byulleten’ eksperimental’noj biologii i mediciny. 1999;10:471–476. (In Russ.).][Budyka EV, Zueva EA, SHestakovich IS. Nekotorye harakteristiki poznavatel’nyh processov lic, razlichayushchihsya lateralizaciej motornyh i sensornyh funkcij. Sovremennye napravleniya issledovanij funkcional’noj mezhpolusharnoj asimmetrii i plastichnosti mozga. Eksperimental’nye i teoreticheskie aspekty nejroplastichnosti. Moscow: Nauchnyj mir; 2010. (In Russ.).][Bell EC, Willson MC, Wilman AH, Dave PH. Males and females differ in brain activation during cognitive tasks. Neuroimage. 2006;30(2):529–538. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.09.049][Ciguleva OA, Kolesnikova TN. Izmenenie pokazatelej serdechno-sosudistoj sistemy v raznye fazy menstrual’nogo cikla. Vestnik Ural’skoj med. akad. nauk. 2004;3(49):129–131. (In Russ.).][Babichev VN. Vlijanie jestrogenov na central’nuju nervnuju sistemu. Vestnik RAMN. 2006;6:45–54. (In Russ.).][Gordon HW, Lee PA. A relationship between gonadotropins and visuospatial function. Neuropsychologia. 1986;24:563–576. DOI: 10.1016/0028-3932(86)90100-4][Hampson E, Kimura D. Reciprocal effects of hormonal fluctuations on human motor and perceptual-spatial skills. Behav Neurosci. 1988;102(3):456–459. DOI: 10.1037//0735-7044.102.3.456]