The effect of premenstrual anxiety and depression on cognitive function

The Depression Adjective Check List, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a battery of factor analytically derived cognitive tests sensitive to anxiety or depression were administered to 50 women between the ages of 30 and 45 during the 4 days prior to the onset of menstruation and again 2 weeks later. Testing sessions were scheduled on the basis of a previously completed Menstrual Distress Questionnaire. There were significant increases in anxiety and depression during the premenstruum. However, no statistically significant differences were found in cognitive test performance, and correlation data failed to support any consistent relationship between premenstrual mood and cognitive function. Moreover, no significant correlations were found between premenstrual complaints on the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire and either cognitive test performance or mood scores obtained during the premenstrual testing sessions. It was concluded that the magnitude of the premenstrual mood change was not great enough to affect intellectual function. Alternative explanations of the absence of decrements in performance are discussed.