Functional dysconnectivity of the triple network in women with premenstrual syndrome

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a risk factor for female depression, linked to neural circuit dysfunction. This study investigates PMS-related brain network patterns, focusing on the triple network's integration and segregation.

The study enrolled 56 PMS patients and 67 healthy controls (HCs), assessed via the Daily Record of Severity of Problems (DRSP). Functional MRI (fMRI) was analyzed using independent component analysis (ICA) to calculate functional connectivity (FC) and functional network connectivity (FNC) within and between brain networks. Correlation analysis examined links between imaging metrics and DRSP scores.

Compared with HCs, PMS patients showed increased FC in the left inferior frontal gyrus of the salience network (SN). Additionally, there was increased FNC between the dorsal default mode network (dDMN), while a decrease was observed between the right execution network (RECN) and SN. Conversely, the FNC between RECN and dDMN was enhanced. Significant correlations were found between the FC values within the SN and DRSP scores. Similarly, the abnormal FNC pattern also correlated significantly with DRSP scores.

Triple-network dysconnectivity may serve as a biomarker for PMS, offering insights into its pathophysiology and potential targets for network-based neuromodulation therapies.

Identifying network dysconnectivities in PMS offers potential biomarkers for diagnosis and targets for neuromodulation therapy, ultimately improving symptom management and patient outcomes.