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Memory function in women with premenstrual complaints and the effect of serotonergic stimulation by acute administration of an alpha-lactalbumin protein

Experimental Psychopharmacology Unit, Brain & Behaviour Institute, Universiteit Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands, Nestlé Research Center, Lausanne, Switzerland., jeroen.schmitt{at}rdls.nestle.com

Brenda L. Jorissen

Experimental Psychopharmacology Unit, Brain & Behaviour Institute, Universiteit Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Louise Dye

Institute of Psychological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.

C. Rob Markus

Department of Experimental Psychology, Universiteit Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Nicolaas E.P. Deutz

Department of Surgery, Universiteit Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Wim J. Riedel

Experimental Psychopharmacology Unit, Brain & Behaviour Institute, Universiteit Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. Department of Neurocognition, Faculty of Psychology, Universiteit Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Serotonergic hypofunction may underlie at least part of the symptoms that are experienced by women with premenstrual complaints, including memory deficits. In the current study we investigated changes in memory functions in the premenstrual phase compared to the early postmenstrual phase in 16 women with premenstrual complaints. In addition, the effect of an acute serotonergic stimulation by administration of an alpha-lactalbumin protein on premenstrual memory performance was assessed using a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design. It was found that both short-term and long-term memory for words (30-word learning task) and abstract figures (abstract visual learning task) were mildly impaired in the premenstrual phase. Administration of alpha-lactalbumin during the premenstrual phase could only partially attenuate the memory performance decrements that are seen in the premenstrual phase. Specifically, alphalactalbumin improved long-term memory for abstract figures, but not for words. There were no effects of menstrual phase or alpha-lactalbumin on planning functions (computerized Tower of London). The data suggest that serotonergic hypofunction may play a role in premenstrual memory decline, but serotonergic mechanisms cannot fully account for observed cognitive changes in the premenstrual phase.

Key Words: alpha-lactalbumin • tryptophan • serotonin • memory • premenstrual symptoms

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