Brain Structural and Functional Connectivity Changes in the Period of Dysmenorrhea: a Prospective fMRI Study

Women's Hospital School Of Medicine Zhejiang University20 enrolled

Overview

Observational prospective study with an analysis of the changes in brain structure and related functional connectivity in women with dysmenorrhea.

Dysmenorrhea is a common gynecological disease and chronic pain disorder.Understanding the neural mechanisms of dysmenorrhea and the brain changes affecting pain factors is important for finding dysmenorrhea treatment methods. The emergence and progress of non-invasive neuroimaging technology can help us better understand pain at the neural level. Recent developments in identifying brain-based biomarkers of pain through advances in advanced imaging can provide some foundations for predicting and detecting pain. Twenty patients with dysmenorrhea and twenty matched female healthy controls were recruited from our hospital. All participants underwent the head magnetic resonance imaging scans to calculate grey matter volume and Diffusion Tensor Imaging parameters. Questionnaire assessment was also conducted.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

Conditions

Dysmenorrhea

Interventions

dysmenorrheaBEHAVIORAL

Dysmenorrhea, defined as painful menstrual cramps of uterine origin, is the most common gynecological condition among women of reproductive age.

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 45 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Right-handedness, as confirmed by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory * A regular menstrual cycle of approximately 21 to 35 days * A history of menstrual pain longer than 6 months * Not taking any medication or using other methods to treat dysmenorrhea in the past month * Score of \>= 40mm on the VAS (visual analogue scale) in recent three menstrual cycles Exclusion Criteria: * Any psychiatric or neurological disorders, particularly premenstrual dysphoric disorder * Using oral contraceptives, hormonal supplements, or any central-acting medication (eg, opioid, antiepileptics) within 6 months before the study * Having a metal or pacemaker implant, claustrophobia, or any contraindications to MR * Head injury with loss of consciousness

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

The functional connectivity of functional magnetic resonance imaging

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-based functional connectivity (FC) commonly characterizes the functional connections in the brain.

Time frame: 1 month

Secondary Outcomes

Grey Matter volume

the grey matter volume is defined as the amount of grey matter that lies between the grey-white interface and the pia mater.

Time frame: 1 month

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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