Dataset Information

Brain reactivity to emotional stimuli in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder and related personality characteristics.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a psychiatric condition that is associated with the menstrual cycle. Elucidation of the neural regulation mechanisms of brain reactivity to emotional stimuli among women with PMDD may inform PMDD treatment.

Methods

Eighty-six women (42 PMDD, 44 healthy controls) were allocated into two groups (anger-induced group: 23 PMDD vs. 23 controls; depression-induced group: 19 PMDD vs. 21 controls). During the luteal phases of the menstrual cycle, all the women were subjected to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). fMRI resting-state scans were performed before and after the study participants had performed an emotional stimuli task. After the emotional stimuli task, emotional status of the participants were evaluated by Self-Rating Depression Scales (SDS) and Trait Anger Expression Inventory-II (STAXI-II). In addition, all the participants were requested to complete the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and the Twenty-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20).

Results

Compared to healthy controls, all women with PMDD exhibited significantly high scores in Tas-20 (p<0.001), higher neuroticism and psychoticism scores as well as significantly low extraversion and social desirability scores (p<0.05). Compared to the controls, f-MRI revealed that PMDD women had elevated ReHo in the middle frontal gyrus (BA10), temporal lobe (BA42), left cerebellum (BA37), as well as decreased activation in the precuneus (BA7), superior frontal gyrus (BA8), lobulus paracentralis (BA6), and right cerebellum (BA48) (p<0.05). Moreover, depression stimuli showed that women with PMDD had elevated ReHo levels in the middle frontal gyrus (BA11), the middle gyrus (BA47) and in the cingulate gyrus (BA23) vs. healthy controls (p<0.05).

Conclusions

Women with more neuroticism and psychoticism, less extraversion and social desirability tend to report PMDD symptoms. Women with this condition experience difficulties in regulating emotions during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Abnormal ReHo levels in the precuneus, superior frontal gyrus, lobulus paracentralis, and right cerebellum may contribute to anger dysregulation. Hypoactivation in the middle frontal gyrus, the middle gyrus and the cingulate gyrus may be generally associated with depression dysregulation in PMDD.

SUBMITTER: Gao M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8386568 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Bipolar disorder (BD) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) are two cyclic mood illnesses, sometimes presenting together. Their comorbidity appears to be linked to common biological mechanisms and usually results in more severity of mood symptoms and a poorer long-term outcome. Nevertheless, the management of comorbid PMDD/BD has been scarcely studied. Therefore, the aim of the present paper was to review the published literature on the treatment of comorbid PMDD/BD and to provide point-by-point hypotheses to address these complex clinical cases. We searched PubMed to identify the studies focused on the treatment and management of comorbid PMDD/BD using the following search words, alone and in combination: premenstrual dysphoric disorder, bipolar disorder, comorbid, treatment, management, pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy. The search was conducted on the 1st of June 2019 and yielded 55 records. Four papers met our inclusion/exclusion criteria and were therefore included in our qualitative synthesis. Integrating the few data pertaining to the treatment of comorbid PMDD/BD with the large amount of published data on the two conditions separately, we can suggest that the management of comorbid PMDD/BD needs as a first step to stabilize the bipolar symptoms by means of optimal dosages of mood stabilizers. Then, in euthymic BD patients, the PMDD symptoms could be treated with estroprogestins (first-line treatment). On the contrary, during acute phases of BD, antidepressants (for major depressive episodes) and atypical antipsychotics/hormonal modulators (for manic episodes) could be considered as promising add-on treatments to mood stabilizers. In case of resistant PMDD/BD symptoms, combined strategies should be taken into account, as well as alternative treatments, such as lifestyle changes. In conclusion, RCTs on comorbid PMDD/BD are still lacking. The management of this complex condition is therefore challenging and it requires a tailored treatment.

Project description:AimPremenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) has predictable, cyclic, psychological, and somatic symptoms, such as sleep problems. They result in functional impairment, are aggravated in the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, and are resolved by menstruation. The present study evaluated the insomnia, inattention, and fatigue symptoms of PMDD and their fluctuations during the menstrual cycle.MethodsA total of 100 women were diagnosed as having PMDD based on psychiatric interviews and a prospective investigation of three menstrual cycles. A total of 96 individuals without PMDD were recruited as controls. Their symptoms, namely insomnia, inattention, and fatigue as well as functional impairment were assessed by using the premenstrual symptoms screening tool, the Pittsburgh insomnia rating scale, the attention and performance self-assessment scale, and the fatigue-assessment scale during both premenstrual and follicular phases.ResultsIn both the premenstrual and follicular phases, women with PMDD experienced more severe insomnia, inattentiveness, and fatigue than did women in the control group. A paired t-test demonstrated that women with PMDD had more severe severity insomnia, inattentiveness, and fatigue in the luteal phase than in the follicular phase. A repeated-measures analysis of variance demonstrated that the interaction period of PMDD and a menstrual cycle was significantly associated with insomnia, inattentiveness, and fatigue. A further correlation analysis demonstrated that all three symptoms were positively associated with self-reported functional impairment due to PMDD.ConclusionsOur results demonstrated that women with PMDD experienced an exacerbation of insomnia, memory problems, difficulty maintaining focus, and fatigue in the premenstrual phase. These symptoms are correlated with PMDD symptoms severity and functional impairment, and as such, they should be evaluated, and interventions should be employed in the late luteal phase of women with PMDD.