Study, 1996
Do women with PMDD have different levels of a brain chemical linked to depression?
Yes, women with PMDD have lower levels of GABA, a brain chemical, especially during their luteal phase. Those with a history of depression have low GABA in both cycle phases.
What they did
Researchers measured a brain chemical called GABA in the blood of 27 women with PMDD and 21 women without PMDD during two points in their cycle: the mid-follicular phase and the late luteal phase. They compared GABA levels between the groups and between cycle phases.
What they found
In women without PMDD, GABA levels increased from the follicular to the luteal phase. Women with PMDD who had a history of depression had low GABA levels during both phases. Women with PMDD but no history of depression had GABA levels that decreased from the follicular to the luteal phase. All women with PMDD showed a different pattern than women without PMDD.
What it means for you
Low GABA during the luteal phase may be part of what causes PMDD symptoms, especially in women who also have depression. This suggests that PMDD and depression might share some biological causes. The main limitation is the moderate sample size, and this shows a link between GABA and PMDD but does not prove that low GABA causes PMDD.
27
women with PMDD
21
comparison women without PMDD
2
cycle phases tested
About the study
- Original title
- Low plasma gamma-aminobutyric acid levels during the late luteal phase of women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- Authors
- Halbreich U, Petty F, Yonkers K et al.
- Journal
- The American journal of psychiatry
- Year
- 1996
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 27
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1176/ajp.153.5.718
Topics
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