Case-control study, 2025
Are there brain differences in women with PMS?
Yes. Women with PMS show different connectivity patterns between the thalamus and other brain regions involved in emotion and stress.
What they did
Brain imaging study of 71 women with PMS and 81 healthy controls. All participants had MRI scans and blood tests measuring hormones and inflammation.
What they found
Women with PMS had lower connectivity between the middle frontal gyrus and parts of the thalamus, and higher connectivity between the insula and the thalamus. These connectivity differences correlated with PMS symptom severity. Symptom severity also correlated with TNF-alpha, an inflammation marker.
What it means for you
Brain areas involved in emotion processing work differently in women with PMS, possibly due to inflammation. The study shows these brain differences exist but cannot prove whether they cause or result from PMS.
71 vs 81
women with PMS vs controls
About the study
- Original title
- Altered functional connectivity of thalamic subregions in premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Sun R, Lai Y, Zhang Q et al.
- Journal
- Journal of affective disorders
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Case-control study
- Participants
- 71
- What was tested
- None (observational brain imaging study)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.03.038
Topics
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