Congratulations to our group member, Rimantė Gaižauskaitė, who on September 29, 2025, successfully defended her doctoral dissertation titled "Links between Sex, Female Hormonal Status and Spatial Abilities: Interplay of Cognitive, Neurophysiological, Social, and Emotional Factors".
Scientific supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ramunė Grikšienė (Vilnius University, Natural Sciences, Biophysics).
Doctoral Defense Committee: Chair – Prof. Dr. Valentina Vengelienė (Vilnius University, Natural Sciences, Biophysics), Dr. Aurina Arnatkevičiūtė (Monash University, Australia, Natural Sciences, Biophysics), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rokas Buišas (Vilnius University, Natural Sciences, Biophysics), Prof. Dr. Vaiva Hendrixson (Vilnius University, Medicine and Health Sciences, Medicine), Prof. Dr. Dovilė Karčiauskaitė (Vilnius University, Medicine and Health
Sciences, Medicine).
Anotation
Studies of sex differences in spatial abilities may help better understand how these abilities are related to sex hormones and female hormonal status, revealing broader mechanisms of central nervous system functioning.
This dissertation examined the links between sex, female hormonal status, and spatial abilities, integrating cognitive, neurophysiological, social, and emotional factors. The study included male participants and females with a natural menstrual cycle (investigated in follicular or mid-luteal phases), females using oral contraceptives (OC), or hormonal intrauterine devices (IUD). Data were collected using psychological questionnaires, electroencephalography (EEG), the tasks of visual working memory, and spatial abilities (mental rotation and cross-section).
The results showed that neither sex nor female hormonal status were significantly related to visual working memory or resting-state EEG parameters. No sex differences were found in the mental rotation task, but in the cross-section task, males outperformed females (except IUD users), and this difference was partly explained by emotional arousal. In summary, the study showed that the associations between sex, female hormonal status, and spatial abilities are subtle and influenced by social, emotional, and individual factors. The results highlight the importance of considering a broader range of factors when comparing cognitive functions between sexes or female hormonal status groups.
