--- title: Do women with PMDD have different patterns in genes related to brain chemistry? description: Yes. Women with PMDD had lower activity of a specific gene (KCC1) related to brain chemistry during certain parts of the menstrual cycle. This supports the id url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/peripheral-blood-mononuclear-cell-expression-of-cation-chloride-cotransporter-2024/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do women with PMDD have different patterns in genes related to brain chemistry? Study, 2024 # Do women with PMDD have different patterns in genes related to brain chemistry? Yes. Women with PMDD had lower activity of a specific gene (KCC1) related to brain chemistry during certain parts of the menstrual cycle. This supports the idea that PMDD may involve problems with how a calming brain chemical called GABA is controlled. Early or limited evidence Women with and without PMDD (exact numbers not stated) ## What they did Researchers collected blood samples 8 times during the menstrual cycle from women with and without PMDD. They measured the activity of genes related to a brain chemical system (cation-chloride cotransporters) involved in GABA function. ## What they found Women with PMDD had lower activity of the KCC1 gene during the early cycle phase and around the time of ovulation. ## What it means for you This finding supports the theory that PMDD may involve problems with how brain chemistry is controlled. The researchers used blood cells as a model for brain activity, which is less direct than studying the brain itself. This is a preliminary study, so more research is needed. The abstract does not specify the total number of women studied. 8 blood samples collected per person during cycle ## About the study Original title Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Expression of Cation-Chloride Cotransporter (CCC) Genes in Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) across the Menstrual Cycle-A Preliminary Study Authors Cho S, Soumare F, Mumford SL et al. Journal Biology Year 2024 Study design Study What was tested None Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3390/biology13060377](https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13060377) Original abstract Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a psychiatric condition characterized by debilitating affective symptomatology in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Based on the previous reports that PMDD may be related to GABAergic cellular dysfunction(s), we assessed whether cation-chloride cotransporter (CCC) gene expression across the menstrual cycle is altered in PMDD. As there are limitations in accessing the human CNS to study CCC-encoding genes, we utilized peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) as an alternative model. We first sought to replicate previous reports characterizing CCC gene expression patterns in PBMCs of reproductive age women. We subsequently investigated potential distinct CCC mRNA expression patterns in women with PMDD. We collected blood samples across 8 menstrual cycle visits for PBMC separation/RNA extraction to study mRNA expression of four KCCs (KCC1, KCC2, KCC3, KCC4) and two NKCCs (NKCC1, NKCC2) cotransporters. We mostly replicated the earlier gene expression pattern findings, and found that the expression levels of KCC1 were significantly downregulated during the mid-follicular and periovulatory subphases of the menstrual cycle in women with PMDD. The present study shows that PBMCs is a valid model for studying GABAergic mechanisms underlying PMDD. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Athletes and sport](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-athletes/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Case-control study, 2023 Does the serotonin system work differently in PMDD across the menstrual cycle? Systematic review, 2023 How common are menstrual cycle problems and PMS or PMDD in female athletes? Randomised trial, 2024 Does a banana drink with egg white reduce PMDD symptoms and improve mood? Randomised trial, 2023 What does research show about PMDD neurochemistry? Case-control study, 2014 Do women with PMDD have different brain activation during emotion processing? Case-control study, 2010 Are personality traits different in women with PMDD? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗