Review, 2019
How do brain changes during reproductive transitions cause depression in women?
A review of brain imaging studies found that depression related to reproductive cycle changes involves different brain activation patterns than typical major depression. Understanding these differences might help develop better treatments, though the causes remain unclear.
What they did
This is a literature review of functional brain imaging studies. Researchers searched Web of Science, PubMed, and PsychInfo for studies on brain activity during mood disorders linked to female reproductive cycles including PMDD, postpartum depression, and perimenopause.
What they found
Neural activation patterns in reproductive cycle-related depression differ from major depression, except for puberty-related depression. PMDD results are widely divergent across studies. Postpartum depression shows general hypoactivation in brain activity. Hormonal fluctuations strongly influence the development of reproductive cycle-related depression.
What it means for you
The way women's brains work during reproductive cycle-related depression is different from typical depression, suggesting they may need different treatments. The main limitation is that studies used different methods and looked at different groups, making it hard to compare results directly.
4 transitions
Reproductive phases examined: puberty, PMDD, postpartum, perimenopause
About the study
- Original title
- Neural correlates of depression in women across the reproductive lifespan - An fMRI review
- Authors
- Stickel S, Wagels L, Wudarczyk O et al.
- Journal
- Journal of affective disorders
- Year
- 2019
- Study design
- Review
- What was tested
- Not applicable. This is a review of existing studies.
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.12.133
Topics
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