The goals of this project are to detect and accurately describe menstrually-related mood disorders, explore their pathophysiology and response to pharmacological and environmental manipulation, and to document the relationship between reproductive endocrine change and disorders of mood as a way of further investigating the neurobiology of psychiatric illness. The longitudinal screening methods developed by this group are capable of distinguishing women with menstrually-related mood syndromes from those who only believe that they have such a syndrome. With these methods, we have identified the following: 1) an absence of diagnostic group differences in baseline and stimulated FSH and LH following GnRH stimulation in ten PMS patients and controls; 2) the absence of a consistent behavioral response to m-CPP in six patients with PMS compared with controls; 3) a significant decrease in red blood cell magnesium but not white blood cell or plasma magnesium in 27 patients with PMS compared with 20 controls; 4) preliminary evidence of the efficacy of fluoxetine in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome; 5) absence of a PMS diagnosis related difference in the five alpha and five beta metabolites of progesterone, allopregnanolone and pregnanolone; 6) the absence, on preliminary analysis, of PMS diagnosis related differences in vasopressin, atrial natriuretic factor, or ACTH; 7) an unequivocal therapeutic response to thyroid hormone supplementation in only one of 24 patients with premenstrual syndrome; 8) the failure of GnRH analogue (Lupron) to eliminate premenstrual syndrome in two of three patients studied so far.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Intramural Research (Z01)
Project #
1Z01MH000180-09
Application #
3859811
Study Section
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
Budget End
Support Year
9
Fiscal Year
1991
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
U.S. National Institute of Mental Health
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
State
Country
United States
Zip Code