--- title: Do women with PMS show different brain activity when viewing sad images compared to women without PMS? description: Yes, a clear difference. Women with PMS showed stronger activation in visual processing and cerebellum areas but weaker activation in emotion regulation and d url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/brain-activation-during-processing-of-depression-emotion-in-college-students-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do women with PMS show different brain activity when viewing sad images compared to women without PMS? Case-control study, 2022 # Do women with PMS show different brain activity when viewing sad images compared to women without PMS? Yes, a clear difference. Women with PMS showed stronger activation in visual processing and cerebellum areas but weaker activation in emotion regulation and decision-making areas compared to controls. Early or limited evidence 13 college students with PMS and 15 healthy college students in China. ## What they did Researchers compared 13 college students with PMS to 15 healthy college students. While having brain scans (fMRI), both groups viewed pictures of sad and non-sad emotions. Scans happened during both the luteal and follicular phases of the menstrual cycle. Depression levels were measured using a rating scale. ## What they found Compared to controls, women with PMS showed stronger activation in visual processing areas (back and side of the brain including occipital, lingual, fusiform, and temporal regions) and cerebellum. They showed weaker activation in frontal lobe areas (involved in decision-making and emotional control), limbic system (emotion processing), and basal ganglia (movement and emotional regulation). ## What it means for you The brain differences suggest women with PMS may process emotions and visual information differently and may have difficulty regulating emotions. However, the study is small and only included college students from one country, so findings may not apply to all women with PMS. 13 college students with PMS 15 healthy college students ## About the study Original title Brain Activation During Processing of Depression Emotion in College Students With Premenstrual Syndrome in China: Preliminary Findings Authors Gao M, An L, Yu Y et al. Journal Frontiers in psychiatry Year 2022 Study design Case-control study Participants 13 What was tested Viewing pictures with sad and non-sad emotions during fMRI brain scans during luteal and follicular phases. Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.856443](https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.856443) Original abstract Background: This study aimed to investigate the neural substrates of processing depression emotion in premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and healthy subjects of college students using blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD-fMRI). Methods: During BOLD-fMRI scanning, 13 PMS patients and 15 healthy controls (HC) performed a picture visual stimulation task during luteal and follicular phases, in which participants and HC were asked to see pictures containing depression and non-depression emotions. Simultaneously, self-rating depression scales (SDS) were employed to evaluate the emotional status of participants. Results: Compared to HC, right inferior occipital gyrus, right middle occipital gyrus, right lingual gyrus, right fusiform gyrus, right inferior temporal gyrus, cerebelum_crus1_R, cerebelum_6_R, culmen, the cerebellum anterior lobe, tuber, and cerebellar tonsil of PMS patients showed enhanced activation. In contrast, sub-lobar, sub-gyral, extra-nuclear, right orbit part of superior frontal gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus, right orbit part of inferior frontal gyrus, limbic lobe, right insula, bilateral anterior and adjacent cingulate gyrus, bilateral caudate, caudate head, bilateral putamen, and left globus pallidus exhibited decreased activation. Conclusion: The findings indicate that abnormal functional regulation of brain regions such as occipital lobe and cerebellum leads to abnormal changes in emotional regulation, cognitive ability, and attention distribution in PMS patients, implying significant central pathogenesis. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) 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 Survey study, 2023 Do women with PMS have slower reaction times and mood changes than others? Survey study, 2023 How common are PMS and PMDD among college girls, and what are their symptoms? Randomised trial, 2023 Does a smartphone app for heart rate variability biofeedback reduce premenstrual and depressive symptoms? Survey study, 2017 Does cognitive-behavioral therapy or cognitive hypnosis help reduce depression in students with PMS? Survey study, 2013 Are premenstrual symptoms linked to how women experience their body? Cohort study, 2010 How do anxiety disorders differ across different life stages? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗