PhD Cognitive Neuroscientist | Women’s health, sex hormones, stress, & behavior | @ucsantabarbara grad | Research specialist @BIOPACSystems | 1st gen | she/her

Joined October 2023
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Thank you @washingtonpost & @meeri_kim for your article discussing our recent research findings! I am overwhelmingly grateful to be a part of research that sheds light on a massively understudied topic (the lives of everyone who menstruates; ~50% of the human population).
A woman’s menstrual cycle is driven by the ebb and flow of hormones that prepare the body for pregnancy. This symphony of hormones not only transforms the reproductive organs, but, according to recent research, also reshapes the brain. wapo.st/3N6IMzp
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Viktoriya Babenko retweeted
Participants in a study of 139 first-time mothers showed lower cortical volume before childbirth that attenuated during the postpartum, with a distinct recovery rate as a function of the brain network and birth type, according to a paper in @NatureNeuro. go.nature.com/3vrDBnC
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12 Dec 2023
Thrilled to hear @FLOTUS Dr. Jill Biden talk about the new Women's Health Initiative! Thanks @mariashriver for inviting @ucimind to be part of this! "Women deserve better - today!"
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Biggest takeaway: 💸WE NEED FUNDING FOR BASIC RESEARCH ON WOMEN'S HEALTH!! 💸 The psychobiological pathways through which women's hormones and HC use impact their stress reactivity & risk of inflammation-related disorders remain understudied (see nature.com/immersive/d41586-…)
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Viktoriya Babenko retweeted
It's a shame we just missed #TransAwarenessWeek last week, but our review of cerebrovascular transgender research is now published! Super important area that deserves more attention @CUBRICcardiff #LGBTQ frontiersin.org/articles/10.…

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DYK that #menopause typically lasts for 1/3 to 1/2 of a woman's life? So why don't we know more about it?! 🤯 We published a 3-part blog series to answer some burning questions & here are the main takeaways! Full blogs and more resources & content here: womenshealthresearch.ubc.ca/…
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Happy to share our newest publication in Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology (FIN) 🎉 We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the association between OCs and symptoms of metal disorders 🧠💊 sciencedirect.com/science/ar…

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Thank you @BIOPACSystems for the shoutout of our recent preprint observing structural changes in the 🧠 with the ebb & flow of sex hormones across the menstrual cycle! w/ collaborators @ej_rise, @neilmdundon, & @emilyjacobs 👏 #WomensHealth
🌟Learn more about the Menstrual Cycle-Driven Hormones & Brain Changes study—featured in The Washington Post today. A well-deserved spotlight on the good work of @VikBabenko, PhD and colleagues! biopac.com/citation-spotligh…
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Thank you @washingtonpost & @meeri_kim for your article discussing our recent research findings! I am overwhelmingly grateful to be a part of research that sheds light on a massively understudied topic (the lives of everyone who menstruates; ~50% of the human population).
A woman’s menstrual cycle is driven by the ebb and flow of hormones that prepare the body for pregnancy. This symphony of hormones not only transforms the reproductive organs, but, according to recent research, also reshapes the brain. wapo.st/3N6IMzp
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This @washingtonpost article also discusses the fantastic work done by @RachelGZsido et al., and features excellent comments from Drs. Adriene Beltz & @ErikaComasco 👏 #WomensHealth
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Viktoriya Babenko retweeted
30 Nov 2023
Thank you @washingtonpost @meeri_kim for highlighting our recent preprint (w/@VikBabenko and @neilmdundon) and fabulous menstrual cycle work by @RachelGZsido et al! With excellent quotes from Drs. Adriene Beltz, @ErikaComasco, and @emilyjacobs 🔥
A woman’s menstrual cycle is driven by the ebb and flow of hormones that prepare the body for pregnancy. This symphony of hormones not only transforms the reproductive organs, but, according to recent research, also reshapes the brain. wapo.st/3N6IMzp
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Viktoriya Babenko retweeted
Women’s health is understudied and underfunded (Nature 2023) and these are not new problems. The male body has been treated as the standard in science for centuries – dating back to antiquity, when women were described as unknowable.
Only 0.5% of neuroscience studies look at women’s health. In a World View article for @Nature, @emilyjacobs outlines a new initiative with a mission to close the gender data gap and make neuroscience inclusive. go.nature.com/4a2lDIm
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Join us on November 30 at 1:30 PM EDT for a special meeting of the NIH Sex and Gender in Health and Disease Scientific Interest Group. Three speakers will highlight progress and discuss challenges across three important domains of #SABV. Register now: bit.ly/3SqNMCo
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🆕Today, @POTUS established a @WhiteHouse Initiative on Women's Health Research, within the Office of the @FLOTUS. This initiative aims to advance #WomensHealth research in the United States. For more information find the official press release here: bit.ly/3QYQ7U9.
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So much controversy around the health effects of female birth control. Tomorrow’s Huberman Lab podcast dives into all of that: pros, cons, according to type, timing, personal goals, age, sexual activity & more w/expert OB/GYN guest. Women & Men should all know this info IMO.
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Hey #BlackInNeuro fam! 👋🏾 are you going to SfN?? 🧠 Here are 3 things to do‼️👇🏾 1) Let us know if you’re presenting so we can stop by & support you! 📊 docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F… 2) Invite folks to our “How I Survived Grad School” session 👩🏾‍🔬🧑🏾‍🎓 on Sunday Nov. 12th from 12pm-2pm
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11 Nov 2023
In DC for #SFN23! Come by for new 7T data exploring a motor circuit that may be preserved in Parkinson's Disease 🧠 Will be at TPDA session poster EE23 Sat 6:30-8:30 halls A-C, and Tues. 8am-12pm PSTR 327.08 halls A-C
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Moment-to-moment information on both complex posture and ball location, using @DeepLabCut. @Brain_Products mobile EEG system neural tracking neural consequence of (rare!) moments @BarryGiesbrecht missed a shot. @jordangarrett__ @BrainOnExercise
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Amazing new preprint supporting evidence of differences in the microstructure of the human 🧠 in relation to sex hormones! @sofievalk
For everyone interested in 🧠 plasticity on a micro-level and sex hormones: we published a preprint from my work in @INM7_ISN and @sofievalk's lab! A reminder to consider (sex) hormones in neuroanatomical research 👩🏽‍🔬👨🏽‍🔬 biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/…
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