--- title: Do women with epilepsy show different brain patterns during different phases of their menstrual cycle? description: Yes. Women with epilepsy showed abnormal changes in brain activity during the perimenstrual phase compared to women without epilepsy, suggesting increased bra url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/females-with-epilepsy-show-abnormal-changes-to-perimenstrual-sensory-induced-2025/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do women with epilepsy show different brain patterns during different phases of their menstrual cycle? Cohort study, 2025 # Do women with epilepsy show different brain patterns during different phases of their menstrual cycle? Yes. Women with epilepsy showed abnormal changes in brain activity during the perimenstrual phase compared to women without epilepsy, suggesting increased brain excitation during this time. Moderate study design 25 women without epilepsy and 20 women with epilepsy (17 completed the study) ## What they did Cohort study comparing 25 women without epilepsy to 20 women with epilepsy. All participants completed a visual brain stimulation task with EEG recording during three menstrual cycle phases: mid-follicular, mid-luteal, and perimenstrual. ## What they found In healthy women, brain response to stimulation was strongest during the mid-follicular phase. In women with epilepsy, the brain showed strongest response during the perimenstrual phase. Only 3 of the 17 women with epilepsy showed the normal mid-follicular pattern. Computational modeling showed changes in brain circuit control during the perimenstrual phase in women with epilepsy. ## What it means for you Women with epilepsy experience abnormal changes in how their brain processes visual information during the perimenstrual phase, which may explain why seizures worsen around menstruation. The study was small and only measured one type of brain activity, so more research is needed to understand whether these findings relate to seizure timing. 25 women without epilepsy who completed study 17 women with epilepsy who completed study 3 women with epilepsy showing normal brain pattern ## About the study Original title Females with epilepsy show abnormal changes to perimenstrual sensory induced long-term potentiation Authors Alshakhouri M, Sharpe C, Bergin P et al. Journal bioRxiv Year 2025 Study design Cohort study Participants 25 What was tested Visual event-related potential task with EEG recording at three menstrual cycle phases Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1101/2025.08.10.669555](https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.08.10.669555) ## Topics [Neurosteroids (allopregnanolone)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-neurosteroids/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/)[Epilepsy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-epilepsy/) 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 Review, 2003 How do menstrual cycle hormones affect the brain and cause mood disorders like PMDD? Review, 2010 Can neurosteroids help with anxiety and brain disorders? Lab study, 2014 Does the hormone drop around the menstrual period change the brain's response to a calming chemical? Lab study, 2013 Could antidepressants help prevent PMS by keeping brain chemicals stable? Survey study, 2012 How do changes in brain chemicals during your cycle affect seizures? Randomised trial, 2009 Does a hormone called allopregnanolone calm the body's startle reaction in PMDD? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗