Review, 2004
Could a brain hormone called allopregnanolone explain mood problems like PMDD in women?
This review suggests that changes in allopregnanolone, a hormone-like substance in the brain, may be linked to mood problems including premenstrual dysphoria (PMDD), but this is a theory based on existing animal and human research, not new proof.
What they did
A review of research, mostly in animal models, looking at how levels of the neurosteroid allopregnanolone change with the hormone cycle and how it affects stress, anxiety, depression, aggression, sleep, memory, pain and appetite.
What they found
In animal models, allopregnanolone levels change across the cycle and affect behavior and stress responses. The authors propose that unusual (increased, decreased, or irregular) allopregnanolone levels may play a role in depression, PMDD, anorexia and bulimia nervosa, and Alzheimer's disease, and that women may be especially sensitive to these hormone-related mood changes.
What it means for you
This points to a possible biological reason some women are more vulnerable to mood problems around their cycle, but it is a hypothesis built on a review of mostly animal studies, not a human trial, so it cannot prove cause and effect.
About the study
- Original title
- Disadaptive disorders in women: allopregnanolone, a sensitive steroid
- Authors
- Bernardi F, Pluchino N, Begliuomini S et al.
- Journal
- Gynecological endocrinology : the official journal of the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology
- Year
- 2004
- Study design
- Review
- What was tested
- None tested; the paper reviews the biology of the hormone allopregnanolone
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1080/09513590400018223
Topics
Related studies
Review, 2003
How do menstrual cycle hormones affect the brain and cause mood disorders like PMDD?
Case-control study, 2013
Are stress hormones different in women with PMDD?
Randomised trial, 2006
Do women with PMDD and depression process progesterone differently than others?
Review, 2000
What conditions beyond depression can antidepressants treat?
Non-randomised trial, 2024
Does luteal phase sertraline treatment affect stress hormones and inflammation in PMDD?
Randomised trial, 2023
Does a smartphone app for heart rate variability biofeedback reduce premenstrual and depressive symptoms?