Survey study, 2023
Can gene activity in the brain help explain or diagnose PMDD, based on a rat study?
In rats, a set of 17 genes could predict PMDD-like symptom groups with 96% accuracy, but this has not been tested in women.
What they did
Scientists grouped pseudopregnant rats into three clusters based on how much anxiety- and depression-like behavior they showed, using an unsupervised machine-learning algorithm. They then studied gene activity in the hippocampus (a brain region) of each cluster and used the results to build a model with a second group of rats.
What they found
The researchers identified 17 key genes in the hippocampus linked to the different behavior clusters. A machine-learning model using these 17 genes correctly sorted a separate group of rats into the matching symptom clusters with 96% accuracy.
What it means for you
This early animal research points to possible biological markers behind PMDD-like symptoms, and the authors suggest this could one day lead to a blood test. However, the study was done entirely in rats, not women, so it cannot yet tell us anything about diagnosing or treating PMDD in people.
17
Key genes identified
96%
Classification accuracy
3
Behavior-based rat clusters
About the study
- Original title
- Characterization of pathogenic factors for premenstrual dysphoric disorder using machine learning algorithms in rats
- Authors
- Chang YW, Hatakeyama T, Sun CW et al.
- Journal
- Molecular and cellular endocrinology
- Year
- 2023
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- Machine-learning analysis of hippocampus gene activity to find genes linked to PMDD-like behavior
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.mce.2023.112008
Topics
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