Randomised trial, 2012
Do women with PMDD have different emotional brain responses across the menstrual cycle?
Women with PMDD showed different emotional brain patterns during the follicular phase and links to anxiety and progesterone levels, rather than a simple luteal phase increase. Anxiety proneness and progesterone appear to modulate emotional reactivity in PMDD.
What they did
Women with PMDD and healthy controls looked at emotional faces during the mid-follicular and late luteal phases while brain activity was measured with fMRI scans.
What they found
Women with PMDD had enhanced amygdala reactivity in the follicular phase compared to healthy controls, but showed no difference during the luteal phase. Healthy controls showed higher amygdala reactivity in the luteal phase than the follicular phase. In women with PMDD, follicular phase progesterone levels correlated with amygdala reactivity, and depression scores correlated with right amygdala reactivity during the luteal phase. Women with high anxiety traits had increased right amygdala reactivity in the luteal compared to follicular phase. Brain responses habituated more quickly in women with PMDD during repeated scans.
What it means for you
Anxiety and progesterone levels, rather than the luteal phase itself, appear to influence emotional brain responses in PMDD. The study is limited by small sample size and a specific research population.
2
menstrual cycle phases tested
About the study
- Original title
- Menstrual cycle effects on amygdala reactivity to emotional stimulation in premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- Authors
- Gingnell M, Morell A, Bannbers E et al.
- Journal
- Hormones and behavior
- Year
- 2012
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- What was tested
- Viewing emotional faces during two menstrual cycle phases
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.07.005
Topics
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