Menstrual cycle phase effects on prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle

Alterations in central nervous system response to menstrual cycle-related fluctuations in neuroactive steroids are thought to underlie the emergence of negative affect in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Such changes in the neuroendocrine milieu may lead to heightened arousal and response to stress in women with PMDD. Using the acoustic startle paradigm, we sought to determine whether women with PMDD have an accentuated physiologic response to a mildly aversive stimulus during the luteal compared to follicular phase. Further, we also examined the impact of visual affective stimuli on acoustic startle response (ASR) magnitude. During the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle, acoustic stimuli (103 dB) were delivered to 15 women with PMDD and 14 healthy menstruating women of similar age. After obtaining baseline ASR, the procedure was repeated when subjects viewed pleasant, neutral and unpleasant pictures. There was a significant group by menstrual cycle phase interaction for baseline ASR magnitude, which can be attributed to the heightened startle magnitude in women with PMDD compared to healthy women during the luteal relative to the follicular phase. The direction and degree to which picture viewing modulated the startle magnitude did not vary by group or menstrual cycle phase. These data suggest that menstrual cycle phase has a powerful modulatory effect on physiologic reactivity in women with PMDD but not in healthy women. Physiologic response to affective stimuli appears to be intact in women with PMDD across the menstrual cycle.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Luteal-Phase Accentuation of Acoustic Startle Response in Women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Epperson

Pittman

Czarkowski

et al. 2007

“…The first explanation, in line with previous data in humans Jovanovic et al, 2004) as well as rats (Koch, 1998), is that complex hormonal fluctuations over the menstrual cycle are responsible for less PPI in premenopausal young women compared with young men, and no difference in PPI between postmenopausal women and older men. However, the loss of sex difference in PPI when examined in postmenopausal women and older men was due mainly to lower PPI in the aged, relative to young, men.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…The same phenomenon (ie, less PPI in females than males) has been observed in rats (Koch, 1998;Faraday et al, 1999). Sex differences in PPI are considered to be mediated by fluctuating hormones over the ovarian cycle based on the observations of more PPI in women during the (low estrogen) follicular phase relative to the (high estrogen) luteal phase Jovanovic et al, 2004). There is no specific research examining sex differences in PPF.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

A Comparison of Prepulse Inhibition in Pre- and Postmenopausal Women and Age-Matched Men

Kumari

Aasen

Papadopoulos

et al. 2008

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response is sensitive to sex with women showing less PPI compared with age-matched men and varies according to the menstrual cycle in women. Relatively less is known about sex differences in prepulse facilitation (PPF). To examine further the roles of sex and circulating sex hormones, pre-(n ¼ 20) and postmenopausal women (n ¼ 20) were compared with men of similar ages (n ¼ 17, 18-40 years; n ¼ 18, 55-69 years). All participants were assessed on PPI and PPF, and provided saliva samples for measurement of 17b-estradiol (estrogen) and testosterone. Premenopausal women showed less PPI compared with age-matched men, with no significant difference in PPF. Postmenopausal women did not differ in PPI but showed more PPF than age-matched men. There was less PPI and PPF in older, relative to young, men; pre-and postmenopausal women did not differ significantly. PPI showed no association with the levels of sex hormones. PPF showed small positive associations with both the levels of estrogen and testosterone, especially in young men. The present findings extend recent observations in mice showing less PPI in premenopausal, but not postmenopausal, female compared with male mice of similar ages (Ison and Allen, Behav Brain Res, 2007) to humans. There appear to be no substantial relationships between individual differences in endogenous levels of sex hormones and PPI; fluctuations within an individual may have a stronger role.

“…The discrepancy between the current study and the study of Meincke et al (2004) regarding sensitization might be explained by the difference in subject population: in the current study, only males were included, whereas in the study of Meincke et al (2004) both males and females were included. As there are numerous reports in literature describing a gender difference in both PPI (Swerdlow et al, 1993Jovanovic et al, 2004;Kumari et al, 2004) and/or prepulse facilitation (Aasen et al, 2005), it is not inconceivable that gender differences might also exist in the processes of habituation and sensitization. Another explanation might be the difference in the intensity level of the background noise, which was slightly higher in the current study (70 dB) than in the study of Meincke et al (2004) (65 dB), which might have reduced the sensitization effect.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Increased Central Serotonergic Activity on Prepulse Inhibition and Habituation of the Human Startle Response

Jensen

Oranje

Wienberg

et al. 2007

Sensorimotor gating is critical to normal brain functioning, and disruptions are associated with certain mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia. Prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex (ASR) (PPI) is an operational measure of sensorimotor gating, of which evidence for a serotonergic modulation is currently inconsistent. In a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design, 18 healthy male volunteers received either placebo or a dose of 10 mg of escitalopram (SSRI), after which they were tested in both PPI and habituation of the startle reflex paradigms. No significant differences between the two treatments were observed on PPI, although escitalopram was found to significantly delay habituation of the ASR. In the current study, escitalopram was found to delay habituation, but it did not affect PPI in healthy male volunteers. As escitalopram is a highly specific SSRI, the results suggest that an increased serotonergic activity disrupts habituation, but not PPI in healthy volunteers.