THE INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT PHASES OF NORMAL MENSTRUAL CYCLE ON SIMPLE VISUAL REACTION TIME

The measure of reaction time has been used to evaluate the processing speed of CNS and the coordination between sensory and motor system. Estrogen and progesterone can alter neuronal functioning. This study was taken up to determine any alterations in simple reaction time during different phases of normal menstruation. In our study we included 100 female first year medical and dental students with normal menstruation history. The subject’s visual reaction time was measured in all the phases of menstruation. The results were expressed as mean and standard deviation. Student’s paired‘t’ test was used for statistical analysis. Each phase was compared with corresponding adjacent phases and the simple visual reaction time was found to be significantly increased (P<0.05) in all phases of menstrual cycle except on the days of menstruation. Hence the altered levels of hormones during menstrual cycle affect the coordination between sensory and motor system.