Published on October 26, 2005 at 5:15 AM
At last there is evidence why some women turn from pussycats to tigers once a month!
New research from the U.S. has shown that a woman’s menstrual cycle has a direct effect on the workings of her brain even if she is not aware that it causes any changes in her mood.
Apparently scientists have discovered a part of the brain involved in processing emotion behaves differently over the course of a woman’s menstrual cycle, most probably reflecting changes in hormonal balance.
It is hoped the findings, from a team at Cornell University and Rockefeller University, both in New York, will provide insights into pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) and lead to new ways of controlling the condition, which affects up to 80 per cent of women.
In the study, a team investigated 12 women using functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan their brains while they performed a task designed to make them process emotions.
The research is published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.