Matilda Halliwell

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Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: Links Between Cortical Activity, Hormonal Fluctuations and Mental Health

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a psychiatric disorder accompanied by intense symptoms of anxiety, depression, cognitive deficits and heightened pain sensitivity during the luteal phase (the second half of the menstrual cycle), which ease shortly after the onset of menstruation. While there are existing treatments for PMDD, such as first-line antidepressants and hormonal therapies, these are often borrowed from other conditions such as depression. To develop more targeted treatments for women with PMDD, we need a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the disorder – what makes PMDD brains different?

This PhD uses non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), to explore how fluctuations in sex hormones across the menstrual cycle relate to cortical activity, brain function, and neural plasticity, and how this differs in women with PMDD. Specifically, it will examine how cortical excitability and inhibition change at different points in the cycle to help explain the dramatic symptom changes experienced in PMDD.

Ultimately, this research aims to further our understanding of how cortical activity adapts across the menstrual cycle in both healthy women and women with PMDD, and to inform the development of future treatments for the disorder.

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