Randomised trial, 2001
Do women with PMDD have different serotonin activity in their blood?
Yes, women with untreated PMDD showed higher serotonin binding sites in their blood compared to controls, and this difference disappeared with hormone treatment.
What they did
Study measuring serotonin receptor binding on blood platelets in women with PMDD treated with buserelin (a hormone medication) or placebo, compared to control women. Two types of serotonin binding were measured.
What they found
Women with untreated PMDD had significantly higher serotonin uptake binding sites (Bmax) in the follicular phase compared to controls. When treated with buserelin, this difference disappeared. PMDD symptoms like depression and irritability were relieved during buserelin treatment. No differences were found in the other type of serotonin binding studied.
What it means for you
This suggests serotonin changes may be an underlying biological trait in PMDD. However, this study measured serotonin binding in blood cells, not the brain directly, so it is unclear how much this relates to actual brain serotonin changes. Sample size is not specified.
3
Groups compared (buserelin-treated PMDD, placebo-treated PMDD, controls)
About the study
- Original title
- Binding of [3H]paroxetine to serotonin uptake sites and of [3H]lysergic acid diethylamide to 5-HT2A receptors in platelets from women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder during gonadotropin releasing hormone treatment
- Authors
- Bixo M, Allard P, Bäckström T et al.
- Journal
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Year
- 2001
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- What was tested
- Buserelin (GnRH agonist)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/s0306-4530(01)00010-5
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