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.
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