Highlights
- •Intensity dependence of auditory potentials were recorded in primary dysmenorrhea.
- •Women with primary dysmenorrhea showed a pronounced intensity dependence.
- •Prefrontal and frontal activations were more prominent in primary dysmenorrhea.
- •These results suggest the role of central sensitization in dysmenorrhea.
Abstract
Some studies suggest that women with primary dysmenorrhea have distinct emotional
or personality features. For example, they might exaggerate their responses to external
stimuli, such as to intensity-increasing auditory stimuli. Fifteen women with primary
dysmenorrhea and 15 healthy women were invited to undergo tests of the intensity dependence
of auditory evoked potentials (IDAEP), the Functional and Emotional Measure of Dysmenorrhea,
and the Plutchik–van Praag Depression Inventory. Study participants with dysmenorrhea
showed higher Functional and Emotional scale scores and stronger IDAEP. Regarding
the IDAEP generation, the source inversion of N1 and P2 disclosed the activated bilateral
superior temporal gyri, medial and superior prefrontal gyri in all participants, and
additionally, the middle frontal gyri in dysmenorrhea patients. We report a pronounced
IDAEP in primary dysmenorrhea, which indicates the decreased cerebral serotonergic
innervations and points to increased activations in the prefrontal and frontal areas
in the disorder.
Perspective
Using an IDAEP technique, the authors found decreased serotonergic innervation and
altered cerebral activation in women with primary dysmenorrhea, which might offer
some pharmacotherapeutic clues for the disorder.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 07, 2017
Accepted:
June 19,
2017
Received in revised form:
April 6,
2017
Received:
November 29,
2016
Footnotes
B.Z., Y.X., and W.H. contributed equally to this work.
This study was supported by a grant from the Natural Science Foundation of China (81571336) to W.W.
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 by the American Pain Society
