According to the World Health Organization Global Burden of Disease 2004 Update, unipolar
depressive disorder, which is twice as common in women, is the leading cause of disease
burden for 15- to 44-year-old women residing in high-, middle-, and low-income countries
(
1
). Anxiety is frequently comorbid with depression, and both panic disorder and posttraumatic
stress disorder are 2-3 times more common in women than men. The sex bias for these
affective disorders is not evident until after puberty, suggesting a possible role
for ovarian hormones and their cyclicity in the manifestation of increased risk for
these disorders in women. Of particular developmental importance is the predictable
clustering of affective disturbances in a subgroup of women during hormonal shifts
across the life span: the premenstrum, pregnancy, postpartum, and perimenopause. Specifically,
premenstrual dysphoria appears to have a strong genetic component and is associated
with an increased risk for affective disorders in the postpartum and perimenopause
(
2
). The mechanism by which ovarian hormones and their neurosteroid metabolites contribute
to affective disorders is likely to be multifactoral, given the widespread and diverse
effects these hormones have on neurotransmitter systems, neurotrophins, and neuronal
and structural morphology. To add complexity, environmental stressors can also influence
the impact of ovarian hormones on brain systems and gene expression, making the study
of these interactions challenging in the human setting.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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References
- World Health Organization Global Burden of Disease Report: 2004 Update.(Accessed June 24, 2012)
- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder: Evidence for a new category for DSM-5.Am J Psychiatry. 2012; 169: 465-475
- Variant brain-derived neurotrophic factor (valine66methionine) polymorphism contributes to developmental and estrous stage-specific expression of anxiety-like behavior in female mice.Biol Psychiatry. 2012; 72: 499-504
- Variant brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism alters vulnerability to stress and response to antidepressants.J Neuroscience. 2012; 32: 4092-4101
- BDNF variant Val66Met interacts with estrous cycle in the control of hippocampal function.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010; 107: 4395-4400
- Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor, depression and antidepressant medications: a meta-analysis and implications.Biol Psychiatry. 2008; 64: 527-532
- Brain-derived neurotrophic factor plasma variation during different phases of the menstrual cycle in women with premenstrual syndrome.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2011; 36: 523-530
- Estrogen and exercise interact to regulate brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA and protein expression in the hippocampus.Eur J Neurosci. 2001; 14: 1992-2002
- Changes in plasma levels of BDNF and NGF reveal a gender-selective vulnerability to early adversity in rhesus macaques.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2009; 34: 172-180
- Differential effects of acute and regular exercise on cognition and affect.Neuroscience. 2012; 215: 59-68
Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
July 3,
2012
Received:
July 2,
2012
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
