Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Journal

Oral contraceptives (OCs) are used by over 100 million women worldwide. They contain synthetic hormones which may alter brain structure and function; however, only a few small-scale neuroimaging studies have examined their effects on the brain thus far. Taking a big data approach, the Jacobs Lab at UCSB launched a database which pairs structural brain scans with reproductive health histories. Preliminary findings from the database found that, compared to never users, OC users had an increase of grey matter volume (GMV) in an area of the brain called the cerebellum (n=48). In this replication study, participants showed similar results (n=24).