Review, 2006
Could changes in brain receptors explain premenstrual anxiety?
Possibly, based on animal studies. When progesterone drops (like before a period), rat brains show changes in GABA receptors in regions that control panic and anxiety, though whether this happens in women's brains is unknown.
What they did
This is a review article discussing studies in female rats. Researchers examined how GABA receptors in the brain change after progesterone dosing is stopped, and observed natural changes during the rat estrous cycle.
What they found
When progesterone levels fell (during late dioestrus, which resembles the human premenstrual phase), the brain made more alpha4, beta1, and delta GABA receptor subunits in the periaqueductal grey matter, a region involved in panic and anxiety.
What it means for you
This suggests a possible brain mechanism for premenstrual anxiety and mood changes: changes in how neurons are built and configured. However, this is based on rat studies, and human brain evidence is limited. Whether this actually happens in women remains unknown.
About the study
- Original title
- Plasticity of GABAA receptor subunit expression during the oestrous cycle of the rat: implications for premenstrual syndrome in women
- Authors
- Lovick TA
- Journal
- Experimental physiology
- Year
- 2006
- Study design
- Review
- What was tested
- None. This is a review summarizing research.
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1113/expphysiol.2005.032342
Topics
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