SynthesisFrontiers in neuroscience2026
Testosterone modulation of default mode network and its effects on cognitive function and mood in humans: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Frontiers in neuroscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Testosterone exerts widespread effects on brain structure and function, yet its influence on large-scale neural networks, particularly the default mode network (DMN), remains poorly understood. The role of the DMN in self-referential processing, social cognition, and mood regulation has been demonstrated over the last decade. Neuroimaging studies suggest a link between testosterone and large-scale brain networks, particularly the DMN, in cognitive function and mood domains. A systematic search of the PubMed database was conducted from March to April 2026, restricted to human neuroimaging studies published within the past 15 years, in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. A total of 10 studies were included in this review. Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2, the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, the NIH Quality Assessment Tool, and the AXIS tool, selected according to study design. Testosterone-related DMN alterations were observed across key self-referential hubs, including the medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, and angular gyrus. Effects were highly sex-specific, developmental stage-dependent, and sensitive to the form and magnitude of androgen exposure. Testosterone levels were mostly linked to changes in affective reactivity and self-referential processing, including aggression modulation and body self-identification. Overall, testosterone-related modulation of DMN connectivity appears to be highly context dependent, with functional consequences predominantly affecting self-referential and affective domains rather than externally oriented cognition. The high heterogeneity of the included studies, alongside the absence of wider hormonal profiling in many studies, constrains causal inference. Future research should prioritize randomized longitudinal designs with comprehensive hormonal assessment and balanced sex representation to clarify the therapeutic relevance of testosterone-related DMN modulation. Systematic review registration: Identifier: CRD420261368147.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.