---
title: Are there differences in brain activity and structure between women with PMS and without?
description: Yes. Women with PMS showed different brain activity and lower gray matter volume in regions related to emotion, thinking, and movement. This doesn't prove wha
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/altered-functional-connectivity-density-and-structural-covariance-networks-in-2023/
---

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- Are there differences in brain activity and structure between women with PMS and without?

Survey study, 2023

# Are there differences in brain activity and structure between women with PMS and without?

Yes. Women with PMS showed different brain activity and lower gray matter volume in regions related to emotion, thinking, and movement. This doesn't prove what causes the differences.

 Early or limited evidence

35 women with PMS and 36 healthy women

## What they did

Researchers used MRI brain scans to study 35 women with PMS and 36 women without PMS. They measured how connected different brain regions were and how active they were.

## What they found

Women with PMS showed different activity in the middle cingulate cortex, precentral gyrus, striatum, thalamus, and orbitofrontal cortex. They had lower gray matter volume in the caudate region. Brain activity in the thalamus was linked to sleep problems, with higher activity associated with worse sleep.

## What it means for you

PMS may involve measurable differences in brain regions that control emotion, movement, and thinking. Sleep problems in PMS might be linked to these brain changes. However, this is a small study that only shows these differences exist in PMS, not whether they cause PMS or result from it.

35

women with PMS scanned

36

healthy controls scanned

## About the study

Original title Altered functional connectivity density and structural covariance networks in women with premenstrual syndrome Authors Liu C, Duan G, Zhang S et al. Journal Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery Year 2023 Study design Survey study Participants 35 What was tested Brain imaging (no intervention tested) Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.21037/qims-22-506](https://doi.org/10.21037/qims-22-506)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)

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What symptoms best predict whether PMDD will seriously affect daily life?

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