Neuropsychological performance and menstrual cycle: a literature review

Abstract

Approximately 80% of all women of reproductive age experience psychological and physical changes associated with the premenstrual phase. Cognitive alterations are among the most common complaints. In this context, studies have assessed cognitive performance across the menstrual cycle in healthy women and also in women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). The main objective of the present study was to review the literature on cognitive function in different phases of the menstrual cycle in women of reproductive age, both healthy and with PMS, in particular premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). We searched MEDLINE and LILACS databases. A total of 27 studies were selected. The studies used heterogeneous methodologies. Most studies suggested that healthy women show small fluctuations in cognitive performance across the menstrual cycle, with low performance scores in the luteal phase for visuospatial and motor skills, attention and concentration, verbal memory, visual memory, working memory, and reaction time. Among women with PMS or PMDD, low performance scores for visuospatial and motor skills, attention and concentration, verbal memory, working memory, reaction time and impulsivity were also detected in the luteal phase. Symptoms observed in PMS/PMDD patients showed low intensity, but greater when compared with healthy women. Evidence indicates fluctuations in cognitive performance in the different phases of the menstrual cycle in healthy and PMS women, with worse performance for women with PMS/PMDD in the luteal phase. However, methodological limitations prevent us from drawing solid conclusions. Further studies are needed to investigate the impact of these cognitive fluctuations on patients' daily activities.

Influence of selected phases of the menstrual cycle on performance in Special judo fitness test and Wingate test

“…Studies that base menstrual cycle phase confirmation on counting days use different criteria to define the luteal and follicular phases (Souza et al, 2012). Epting and Overman (1998) as well as Phillips and Sherwin (1992) reported that all studies from this field should investigate the occurrence of anovulatory cycles, since only 62% of women in the 20-24 age groups ovulate in all menstrual cycles.…”

“…Epting and Overman (1998) as well as Phillips and Sherwin (1992) reported that all studies from this field should investigate the occurrence of anovulatory cycles, since only 62% of women in the 20-24 age groups ovulate in all menstrual cycles. Because anovulatory cycles have been associated with absence of progesterone increases in the luteal phase, failing to detect for this data (or eliminate them from the analyses) would decrease the probability of detecting abnormalities across the menstrual cycle (Broverman et al, 1981;Souza et al, 2012). Despite this fact, better performance in the first segment of SJFT can be explained with the study of authors Nicklas, Hackney, and Sharp (1989), using biopsies of vastus lateralis muscle, found that glycogen repletion and therefore glycogen muscle content was greater during the luteal phase (LP).…”

“…The poor understanding currently available of the effects of other neurobiological substances on performance, as well as the influence of environmental variables (e.g. stress, sleep deprivation, diet), should be taken into consideration (Sherwin, 2003;Souza et al, 2012).…”

“…At the end of the test, and 1 minute after completing the test, the heart rate of TORI was measured with POLAR RS800CX G3 (Polar Electro, Oulu, Finland). Subsequently from the number of throws and heart rate performance on anaerobic tests, hindering a consistent comparative analysis across studies (Souza, Ramos, Hara, Stumpf, & Rocha, 2012).…”

Evidências de validade da escala de síndrome pré-menstrual

“…Em uma revisão de literatura, Souza, Ramos, Hara, Stumpf, e Rocha (2012) identificam 27 estudos sobre o Transtorno Disfórico Pré-Menstrual (TDPM). Os estudos identificados evidenciam uma leve alteração no desempenho cognitivo em mulheres sadias ao longo do ciclo menstrual, obtendo menores pontuações na fase lútea.…”