Jennifer Hranilovich, MD

For Patients:
My research interests are primarily focused on the way in which hormones such as estrogen and testosterone influence the development of headache in puberty as well as the changes in brain structure and function that show us how this development happens. A particular group of patients in which I study this is transgender youth, with my primary research technique involving imaging of the brain using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

For Referring Providers:
My primary research interest is in neuroimaging biomarkers of effects of hormones like estrogen and testosterone on brain development. The nexus with headache comes with the fact that the overall prevalence of headache in women is about twice that in men. This difference in prevalence starts in adolescence when estrogen rises significantly in girls, and many think that estrogen plays a role in this sex difference in headache, particularly migraine. Evidence from prior studies suggests that the rise in average estrogen levels at puberty guides the development of brain structure and function, including areas key to headache. I have led two observational studies working with transgender youth receiving gender affirming hormone therapy to explore effects of estrogen and testosterone.