Presented During:
Wednesday, June 25, 2025: 5:45 PM - 7:00 PM
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Room:
M4 (Mezzanine Level)
Poster No:
590
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Edwina Orchard1, Kaya Jordan2, Laura Pritschet3, Caitlin Taylor2, Emily Jacobs2
Institutions:
1University of California, Santa Barbara, Preston, CA, 2University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 3University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Kaya Jordan
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA
Introduction:
A growing wave of neuroscience research is transforming our understanding of how hormonal exposures and reproductive events shape the human brain. However, a critical question remains: how can we measure these factors in a comprehensive, rigorous, and reproducible way? Currently, no standardized method exists to capture the full spectrum of endogenous and exogenous hormonal exposures across the lifespan, limiting the reproducibility, scale, and impact of women's brain health research. The STANDARD was developed to address this growing need-a first-of-its-kind tool to harmonize data collection on reproductive health and hormonal exposures for neuroimaging and beyond.
Methods:
The STANDARD was developed through an iterative, collaborative process. Questions were initially compiled from validated and bespoke reproductive health surveys, reviewed for readability, inclusivity, and flow, and refined through multiple rounds of feedback with a panel of field leaders and experts in women's health. Careful attention was paid to ensure inclusive language, suitable for individuals of all sexes and genders while maintaining consistency and relevance throughout sections across the lifespan. Piloting with diverse samples informs further refinement and validation efforts, currently underway, with aims to establish cross-cultural reliability.
Results:
The STANDARD captures the full breadth of reproductive health factors across the lifespan, characterizing exogenous hormonal exposures (including medication type, age of initiation, duration, and reason for use), endogenous hormonal events (including pubertal development, menstruation, pregnancy, lactation, menopause, and reproductive surgeries), and hormonal sensitivity (including physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms experienced during periods of hormonal transition). Additional exploratory items address emerging areas of interest, preparing the tool for future extension as our understanding of the impact of relevant factors on brain health progresses.
The STANDARD provides the first standardized approach to collecting reproductive health data designed specifically for human neuroimaging. It integrates seamlessly into research workflows and will be made openly available in multiple formats, including Qualtrics, REDCap, and print-friendly versions. A comprehensive online resource hub will accompany the survey, offering a data dictionary, scoring and interpretation guides, recommended language for reporting, and tools to harmonize data collection across studies.
Conclusions:
Women's brain health has long been underfunded and understudied. Less than 0.5% of neuroimaging publications consider health factors unique to women, leaving critical questions unanswered regarding how hormones shape the brain across the lifespan. The STANDARD offers a much-needed solution: a rigorously designed, scalable tool for collecting the data necessary to address these gaps. By standardizing data collection, the STANDARD enables direct comparisons between studies, data-pooling, and future meta-analyses, catapulting the field forward to better understand how hormonal factors influence brain development, aging, and disease processes.
Planned extensions include translating the survey into multiple languages and adapting it for cross-cultural use. Partnerships with neuroimaging consortia (e.g., ENIGMA) and women's health coalitions (e.g., WHAM, SWHR) aim to promote its widespread adoption. The accompanying resource hub will provide ongoing support through tutorials, user forums, and updates informed by the research community. By standardizing data collection for "big data" initiatives, the STANDARD has the potential to revolutionize women's brain health research in a way that's evidence-based, harmonizable, and poised for global impact.
Education, History and Social Aspects of Brain Imaging:
Education, History and Social Aspects of Brain Imaging 1
Lifespan Development:
Lifespan Development Other 2
Neuroanatomy, Physiology, Metabolism and Neurotransmission:
Normal Development
Neuroinformatics and Data Sharing:
Databasing and Data Sharing
Physiology, Metabolism and Neurotransmission:
Physiology, Metabolism and Neurotransmission Other
Keywords:
Development
Experimental Design
NORMAL HUMAN
Open-Source Software
Other - Reproductive History and Lifetime Hormonal Exposure
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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