Case-control study, 2001
Do brain chemical levels change across the menstrual cycle and differ in women with PMDD?
Brain chemical levels do change measurably across the menstrual cycle in both women with PMDD and healthy women. However, the changes were similar between the two groups, so brain chemistry patterns alone do not distinguish PMDD from normal.
What they did
Case-control pilot study using brain scanning (proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy) to measure brain chemicals in 5 women with PMDD and 6 healthy controls on two days per menstrual cycle: day 8 (follicular phase, no PMDD symptoms) and day 26 (luteal phase, peak PMDD symptoms).
What they found
The ratio of N-acetyl-aspartate to creatine in the medial prefrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus declined significantly from the follicular to the luteal phase in both groups. The ratio of choline to creatine showed a significant increase in the parietal white matter during the luteal phase in both groups. The myo-inositol to creatine ratio exhibited a trend toward higher levels in the PMDD patients in the luteal phase. Differences between PMDD and control subjects were not statistically significant.
What it means for you
Menstrual cycle hormones measurably affect brain chemistry in detectable ways. However, since both women with and without PMDD show these changes, brain chemistry patterns alone cannot explain why some women develop PMDD symptoms. This is a very small pilot study and only exploratory, not definitive.
5
women with PMDD
6
healthy control women
About the study
- Original title
- Menstrual cycle-related brain metabolite changes using 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy in premenopausal women: a pilot study
- Authors
- Rasgon NL, Thomas MA, Guze BH et al.
- Journal
- Psychiatry research
- Year
- 2001
- Study design
- Case-control study
- What was tested
- None - measurement study
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/s0925-4927(00)00085-8
Topics
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