A scoping review of hormonal clinical trials in menstrual cycle-related brain disorders: studies in premenstrual mood disorder, menstrual migraine, and catamenial epilepsy

CONCLUSIONS: Research in PMD, MM, and CE commonly have overlapping study design and research methods, and similar effects of some interventions suggest the possibility of overlapping mechanisms contributing to their cyclical symptom presentation. Our scoping review is the first to summarize existing clinical trials in these three brain disorders, specifically focusing on hormonal treatment trials. We find that PMD has a stronger body of literature for ovulation-suppressing COC and GnRHa trials; the field of MM consists of extensive estrogen-based studies; and current consensus in CE focuses on progesterone supplementation during the luteal phase, with limited estrogen manipulations due to concerns about seizure provocation. We argue that researchers in any of these respective disciplines would benefit from greater communication regarding methods for assessment, diagnosis, subtyping, and experimental manipulation. With this scoping review, we hope to increase collaboration and communication among researchers to ultimately improve diagnosis and treatment for menstrual-cycle-linked brain disorders.PMID:37619655 | DOI:10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101098
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - Category: Endocrinology Authors: Source Type: research