TY - JOUR T1 - White matter microstructure and volume correlates of premenstrual dysphoric disorder JF - Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience JO - JPN SP - E67 LP - E76 DO - 10.1503/jpn.210143 VL - 47 IS - 1 AU - Xuan Gu AU - Manon Dubol AU - Louise Stiernman AU - Johan Wikström AU - Andreas Hahn AU - Rupert Lanzenberger AU - C. Neill Epperson AU - Marie Bixo AU - Inger Sundström-Poromaa AU - Erika Comasco Y1 - 2022/02/23 UR - http://jpn.ca/content/47/1/E67.abstract N2 - Background: Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a mood disorder characterized by psychological and physical symptoms. Differences in white matter have been associated with affective and anxiety disorders, which share some symptoms with PMDD. However, whether white matter structure differs between the brains of individuals with PMDD and healthy controls is not known, nor is its relation to symptom severity.Methods: We performed tract-based spatial statistics and voxel-based morphometry analyses of diffusion tensor imaging metrics and white matter volume, using 2 neuroimaging data sets (n = 67 and n = 131) and a combined whole-brain and region-of-interest approach. We performed correlation analyses to investigate the relationship between regions with different white matter microstructure and volume and PMDD symptom severity.Results: We found greater fractional anisotropy in the left uncinate fasciculus (d = 0.69) in individuals with PMDD compared to controls. Moreover, the volume of the right uncinate fasciculus was higher in individuals with PMDD compared to controls (d = 0.40). As well, the severity of premenstrual depression was positively correlated with fractional anisotropy in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus (r = 0.35).Limitations: It is challenging to interpret group differences in diffusion tensor imaging metrics in terms of their underlying biophysical properties. The small size of the control group in the diffusion tensor imaging study may have prevented effects of interest from being detected.Conclusion: The findings of the present study provide evidence of differential cerebral white matter structure associated with PMDD and its symptoms. ER -