Understanding change in women's brains through EEG scans.

Summary

Women’s mental healthcare has mostly been based on research done on men, so we don’t fully understand how hormones affect women’s brains during menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause. Also, our healthcare system focuses on medical treatments like medication and trying to change thoughts and emotions, instead of looking at ways to directly heal the brain and improve mental health.
A key tool for improving mental healthcare is the Electroencephalogram (EEG). An EEG measures brain activity and helps find areas where the brain isn’t working properly, which can happen after emotional or physical trauma. While researchers in the US and Europe have created EEG databases, none focus on women.

Our goal in this study is to conduct 800-1000 EEGs of women at different stages of life, to understand what a healthy female brain looks like during menstruation, pregnancy and menopause. We will analyze the EEG data and properties so we can discover what type of non-invasive therapy can help heal a woman's brain best at whatever stage in life she finds herself. This information is important for creating better mental health care choices for women in Alberta.