---
title: Do women with PMDD have different brain activation during emotion processing?
description: Women with PMDD showed lower activation in certain brain emotion-processing regions, especially those carrying a specific gene variant (Met-allele). This is s
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/emotional-fronto-cingulate-cortex-activation-and-brain-derived-neurotrophic-2014/
---

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- Do women with PMDD have different brain activation during emotion processing?

Case-control study, 2014

# Do women with PMDD have different brain activation during emotion processing?

Women with PMDD showed lower activation in certain brain emotion-processing regions, especially those carrying a specific gene variant (Met-allele). This is suggestive evidence but based on a small study.

 Early or limited evidence

31 women with PMDD and 31 healthy controls

## What they did

Case-control study of 31 women with PMDD and 31 healthy controls. A subset of 16 PMDD patients and 15 controls had brain imaging while performing emotion tasks during two phases of the menstrual cycle (mid-follicular and late luteal).

## What they found

PMDD patients had lower activation in the pre-genual anterior cingulate and ventro-medial prefrontal cortex regardless of menstrual phase. The genes studied were not directly linked to PMDD diagnosis. However, women with PMDD who were carriers of the Met-allele of the BDNF gene showed lower fronto-cingulate activation in the luteal phase compared to Met-allele carrying controls.

## What it means for you

Brain emotion processing areas may work differently in PMDD, possibly related to a specific genetic variant. The small sample size limits confidence in the findings.

31

women with PMDD

31

healthy controls

16

PMDD women in brain imaging

## About the study

Original title Emotional fronto-cingulate cortex activation and brain derived neurotrophic factor polymorphism in premenstrual dysphoric disorder Authors Comasco E, Hahn A, Ganger S et al. Journal Human brain mapping Year 2014 Study design Case-control study Participants 31 What was tested Emotion processing task during brain imaging Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1002/hbm.22486](https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.22486)

## 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/)

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