Prior research indicates that women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) have alterations in sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and adrenergic receptor (AR) function. Our work suggests that PMDD women with histories of sexual and physical abuse, especially childhood abuse (CA) show even greater adrenergic dysregulation, since they exhibit greater heart rate and blood pressure levels, greater B-AR responsivity and lower plasma norepinephrine (NE) relative to non-abused PMDD women. Animal studies clearly indicate a role for B-AR activation in producing hyperalgesia, while NE pathways and HPA-axis activation are involved in pain inhibition. Thus, alterations in B-AR function and diminished NE and cortisol output in PMDD women with abuse may have implications for the hyperalgesia that has been documented in PMDD. It is hypothesized that increased B-AR responsivity coupled with blunted NE will contribute to worse premenstrual symptoms and to hyperalgesia to experimental pain in PMDD women with prior CA. Sixty PMDD and 90 non-PMDD women will be tested in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle for SNS (e.g., plasma NE, blood pressure) and HPA-axis (cortisol, ACTH, B-end) activation at rest and during stress, B-AR responsivity, and pain sensitivity to ischemic, thermal heat, and cold pain. Five groups will be compared for differences in pain sensitivity and relationship to physiological measures: 1) PMDD women with prior CA (n=30);2) never abused PMDD women (n=30);3) non-PMDD women with prior CA (n=30);4) never abused non-PMDD women (n=30);and 5) non-PMDD women with no abuse and no psychiatric histories (n=30) as a healthy control group. Since our prelim studies show that all women with abuse have lower cortisol and non- PMDD women with CA show some degree of adrenergic dysregulation, we predict a rank order of effects PMDD/CA+>non-PMDD/CA+>PMDD/CA->non-PMDD/CA- for adrenergic dysregulation and hyperalgesia. Following this testing, using double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over procedures, all women will be retested in 2 subsequent luteal phases for SNS measures, pain sensitivity, and dysphoric mood;once during a low dose, i.v. propranolol session (0.1 mg/kg) and once during placebo. Since propranolol is a B-AR blocker, we intend to use propranolol as a pharmacological probe to investigate SNS and adrenergic factors that contribute to hyperalgesia and dysphoric mood in PMDD. We hypothesize that propranolol will be associated with differentially greater normalization of SNS, NE and hyperalgesia measures, and greater reductions in dysphoria in PMDD women with CA. These results are intended to provide important insights into the pathophysiological significance of altered adrenergic activation in the subgroup of PMDD women with CA.
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