Cognitive flexibility, reaction time, and attention in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate cognitive functioning throughout the menstrual cycle in women who suffer from premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PDD) and controls. RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS: Measures of cognitive function will discriminate between women with prospectively documented PDD and women without PDD during the late-luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.


METHODS
The participants consisted of 37 women who met operationalized, prospectively documented criteria of premenstrual dysphoric disorder and 32 women without PDD who served as controls.


METHODS
A series of neurocognitive tasks were used to assess selective, sustained attention, reaction time, and cognitive flexibility in women with PDD and controls. Tests were administered on two occasions: once during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, and once during the late-luteal phase.


RESULTS
Repeated measures and discriminant analyses failed to demonstrate significant group differences between women with PDD and controls in neurocognitive functioning.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings indicated that cognitive functioning in the late-luteal phase was not compromised in either group, in spite of subjective reports from the PDD group. The findings suggest that complaints of cognitive dysfunction may be mediated by altered perceptions and sociocultural expectations rather than by identifiable cognitive deficits.
Morgan
Melinda
M
Department of Adult Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles, USA. melinda@ucla.edu
Rapkin
Andrea
A
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001288:Attention; D002140:California; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005498:Follicular Phase; D006801:Humans; D008183:Luteal Phase; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011293:Premenstrual Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D012919:Social Behavior