Study, 2023
Do women with severe PMS process rewards differently in the brain than women with mild PMS?
Yes. Women with severe PMS showed stronger brain activity when expecting money, and different patterns of response compared to women with mild PMS.
What they did
College women in their early twenties completed a task where they could win money. One group had high premenstrual symptoms (n=20) and another had low symptoms (n=20). Brain activity was measured during the late luteal phase when PMS symptoms peak, using magnetoencephalography to record responses to reward cues and neutral cues.
What they found
Women with high PMS showed higher brain activity when shown cues for possible money gain, while women with low PMS showed lower activity. Women with high PMS had significantly higher overall brain activity. When expecting not to win money, women with high PMS showed lower brain activity than women with low PMS.
What it means for you
Women with more severe PMS may experience reward anticipation differently in the brain, which might explain cravings for certain foods during the menstrual cycle. The study is limited by its small sample size and measurement during only one phase of the cycle.
20
women with high PMS
20
women with low PMS
early twenties
age range
About the study
- Original title
- Women with more severe premenstrual syndrome have an enhanced anticipatory reward processing: a magnetoencephalography study
- Authors
- Hou L, Meng Y, Gao J et al.
- Journal
- Archives of women's mental health
- Year
- 2023
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 20
- What was tested
- Monetary reward task during late luteal phase
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1007/s00737-023-01368-3
Topics
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