Mateja Perović

Current research Projects

Ovarian hormones and cognitionOvarian hormones have wide-ranging effects on the brain. In my work on rule-plus-exception learning across the menstrual cycle, I find that successfully learning exceptions to category rules varies with the menstrual cycle in a manner that matches the changes in estradiol levels across the cycle. These findings are consistent with the known impacts of estradiol on hippocampal function and structure and reveal a key behavioural signature of this cycle-dependent neural variability.Relevant first-author publications:
Perović, M., Heffernan, E. M., Einstein, G., & Mack, M. L. (2023). Learning exceptions to category rules varies across the menstrual cycle. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 21999.
Perović, M., Heffernan, E., Einstein, G., & Mack, M. (2022). Category learning across the menstrual cycle: Learning exceptions to the rule varies by ovarian milieu. Cognitive Science.
Perović, M., Wugalter, K., & Einstein, G. (2022). Review of the Effects of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome on Cognition: Looking Beyond the Androgen Hypothesis. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 101038.Early life adversity and dementia riskThere are known sex differences in dementia trajectories with women having higher risk and faster progression of Alzheimer’s disease. This risk may be compounded by a history of adverse childhood experiences, yet sex differences in the effect of ACE on dementia risk remain understudied. My work examines this interaction in people along a continuum of risk for Alzheimer's disease: healthy controls, subjective cognitive decline, amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease itself. In another line of work, I examine the effect of adverse childhood experience on reports of subjective cognitive decline in sexual minority women.Minority stress and cognitive aging in sexual minority womenWomen bear the greatest burden of Alzheimer’s disease and chronic stress further increases the risk of pathological aging. Past research on health outcomes in sexual minority cohorts shows that sexual minority individuals report worse mental and physical health outcomes as well as higher rates of disability and lower social support than heterosexuals. All of these factors may contribute to accelerated cognitive aging and an increased risk of dementia. My dissertation examines cognitive performance in sexual minority women along a range of cognitive states – healthy aging, subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment – allowing for a detailed study of dementia risk in this population.

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