The Effects of PMS/PMDD on Attention and Short-Term Memory in Adolescent Girls

Abstract

Objective: There are few studies of premenstrual syndrome (PMS)/premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) in adolescents. The research conducted to date generally consists of prevalence studies that did not evaluate neuropsychological parameters. This study was designed to assess neurocognitive functions, such as attention and memory, in adolescent girls diagnosed with PMS or PMDD during different phases of the menstrual cycle. Method: A total of 86 adolescents aged 14-18 years completed the Premenstrual Assessment Form (PAF). Of that initial group, 56 who had a score of >= 1.7, indicating the presence of PMS, were enrolled; 20 were subsequently excluded. A final group of 36 with PMS/PMDD and 30 controls (PAF <1.7) cases were used for the statistical analysis. The participants were assessed in different phases of the menstrual cycle: once in the follicular phase and once in the luteal phase. The Edinburgh Depression Scale, the Visual Aural Digit Span (VADS) Test-Form B, the Stroop Color and Word Test-TBAG Form, the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version, and the Child Behavior Checklist were also administered to evaluate other parameters. Results: The subjects with PMS/PMDD demonstrated weaker performance than the control group on the Stroop test (Section 5), which presents incongruence and measures the interference effect, and the results of the PMS/PMDD group were also significantly lower in the luteal phase compared with the follicular phase. No significant difference was found between the groups in the VADS-B test subparameters; however, the results of the PMS/PMDD group were weaker in the luteal period, while there was no significant difference seen in the control group according to phase of the menstrual cycle. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first published study to evaluate neurocognitive function in adolescent girls who have been diagnosed with PMS/PMDD in 2 phases of the menstrual cycle. The results of this study identified some neurocognitive difficulty with attention maintenance, disruptive effect, and short-term memory in those with PMS/PMDD. Furthermore, the menstrual phase had a significant impact on test scores.