Publication Name	World Journal of Psychiatry
Manuscript ID	126903
DOI	10.5498/wjp.126903
Country	China

Category	Psychiatry
Manuscript Type	Minireviews
Article Title	Ovarian steroid sensitivity and candidate neural mechanisms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder
Manuscript Source	Invited Manuscript
All Author List	Yi-Xuan Li, Yu-Jie Xu, Yi-Lin Sun, Yao Lu, Yu Bi and Xian Ma
Funding Agency and Grant Number	Funding Agency Grant Number National Natural Science Foundation of China No. 82004410 Major Project of Hangzhou Medical and Health Science and Technology Plan No. Z20240023 Zhejiang Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Program No. LMS26H270005 Zhejiang Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Program No. ZJWXSZ-2025-2025-006 Hangzhou Medical and Health Science and Technology Plan No. 2022-32
Corresponding Author	Xian Ma, Chief Physician, Director, Doctorate Student, Department of Science and Education, Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou TCM Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, No. 453 Tiyuchang Road, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang Province, China. hymaxian@163.com
Key Words	Premenstrual dysphoric disorder; Ovarian steroid sensitivity; Neuroactive steroids; Gamma-aminobutyric acid; Serotonin; Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; Neuroimaging; Treatment
Core Tip	Premenstrual dysphoric disorder may be better explained by an atypical brain response to normal ovarian steroid fluctuations than by chronically abnormal hormone concentrations. Neuroactive steroid-gamma-aminobutyric acid signaling, serotonin, corticolimbic networks and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis have each been reported to change across the cycle, although findings are inconsistent; evidence from premenstrual syndrome samples is distinguished from that in prospectively confirmed premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Because the proposed abnormality lies in central sensitivity rather than in peripheral hormone concentrations, treatment aimed at the brain's response to steroid fluctuation may be a more useful therapeutic framework than targeting hormone levels themselves, pending prospective validation.
Citation	Li YX, Xu YJ, Sun YL, Lu Y, Bi Y, Ma X. Ovarian steroid sensitivity and candidate neural mechanisms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder. World J Psychiatry 2026; In press DOI: https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.126903
PDF	126903-in-press.pdf

Received	2026-08-17 10:44
Peer-Review Started	2026-08-17 10:45
First Decision by Editorial Office Director
Return for Revision	2026-10-10 05:45
Revised	2026-10-18 11:28
Publication Fee Transferred
Second Decision by Editor	2026-11-12 06:00
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-11-12 10:03
Articles in Press	2026-11-12 10:03
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	2220-3206 (online)
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