---
title: Are there differences in brain thickness and volume in women with PMS?
description: Yes. Women with PMS had thinner cortex in three brain areas and larger volumes in three deeper brain structures. These relate to emotion and sensation, but th
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/cortical-and-subcortical-changes-in-patients-with-premenstrual-syndrome-2018/
---

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- Are there differences in brain thickness and volume in women with PMS?

Case-control study, 2018

# Are there differences in brain thickness and volume in women with PMS?

Yes. Women with PMS had thinner cortex in three brain areas and larger volumes in three deeper brain structures. These relate to emotion and sensation, but this small study needs replication.

 Early or limited evidence

20 women with PMS and 20 healthy controls.

## What they did

Case-control study with 20 women with PMS and 20 healthy controls. All underwent brain MRI scans. Using FreeSurfer software, researchers measured cortical thickness and subcortical volumes and looked for correlations with symptom severity.

## What they found

Compared to controls, PMS patients had reduced cortical thickness in the medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and insula, and increased subcortical volumes in the amygdala, thalamus, and pallidum. In PMS patients, symptom severity was negatively correlated with cortical thickness in the anterior cingulate cortex and precuneus.

## What it means for you

Brain structural differences in PMS may relate to emotion regulation and physical sensation difficulties. The small sample (20 per group) and narrow age range significantly limit confidence. Larger studies are needed to confirm.

20

Participants per group (PMS and control)

3

Brain regions with reduced cortical thickness in PMS

3

Brain regions with increased subcortical volume in PMS

## About the study

Original title Cortical and subcortical changes in patients with premenstrual syndrome Authors Liu P, Wei Y, Fan Y et al. Journal Journal of affective disorders Year 2018 Study design Case-control study What was tested None (observation only). Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.04.046](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.04.046)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)

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