Case-control study, 2025
Are there specific brain network connection problems in PMS?
Yes. Women with PMS show abnormal connections in brain networks compared to healthy women. These network problems correlate with PMS symptom severity scores and might help diagnose PMS or guide new treatments.
What they did
Case-control study of 56 PMS patients and 67 healthy controls. All had brain imaging (fMRI) and filled out a symptom severity questionnaire (DRSP). Brain networks were analyzed to examine connections within and between three major brain networks.
What they found
PMS patients had increased brain activity in part of the salience network. They showed different connection patterns between three major brain networks compared to healthy controls. The abnormal connection patterns correlated significantly with PMS symptom severity scores.
What it means for you
Brain network problems might be a biological marker for PMS and a target for new brain-based treatments. However, the study only shows correlation, not which network changes cause symptoms. The sample was relatively small.
56
PMS patients studied
67
healthy controls studied
About the study
- Original title
- Functional dysconnectivity of the triple network in women with premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Lin S, Zhang Y, Huang J et al.
- Journal
- Psychiatry research. Neuroimaging
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Case-control study
- Participants
- 56
- What was tested
- None - observational study
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2025.111973