Why some women turn from pussycats to tigers once a month!

Oct 26 2005

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.