Could Women with PCOS Experience Attention and Cognitive Challenges?

New Delhi, May 26 (NationPress) Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, commonly known as PCOS, is a prevalent endocrine disorder affecting women, and recent research from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay indicates it may impair attention and other cognitive functions.

Women diagnosed with PCOS frequently experience irregular or missing menstrual cycles, the presence of polycystic ovaries, and heightened levels of male hormones (androgens).

Prior studies had highlighted a greater incidence of anxiety and depression among women with PCOS; however, this latest research specifically examines attention, which is crucial for essential cognitive processes such as receiving, interpreting, and comprehending information.

The study, led by Maitreyi Redkar and Prof. Azizuddin Khan from the Psychophysiology Laboratory in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Bombay, evaluated two participant groups: 101 women with PCOS and 72 healthy women.

By measuring hormonal levels before the assessments and subjecting participants to attention-related tasks, the researchers discovered that women with PCOS exhibited slower reaction times and were more prone to distractions compared to their healthy peers.

Specifically, women with PCOS had a response time over 50% slower and committed about 10% more errors in focused attention tasks.

Furthermore, performance on divided attention tasks showed a 20% slower response and an additional 3% error rate among women with PCOS, according to the researchers.

“The cognitive assessments were meticulously designed to capture subtle millisecond-level differences in responses to critical stimuli. These minor delays indicate considerable attention impairments that may affect daily functioning,” stated Prof. Khan, who spearheaded the research.

He further elaborated, “In the context of focused attention, it is not only about maintaining concentration to respond promptly but also about inhibiting unrelated distractions.”

The researchers noted that the hormonal imbalances linked to PCOS could result in reduced alertness and prolonged reaction times. Alongside elevated androgen levels, participants with PCOS also exhibited insulin resistance, which is connected to attention deficits.

Insulin resistance disrupts glucose metabolism and influences neuronal activity, leading to diminished performance in focused attention tasks.

Mental fatigue associated with PCOS, manifesting as anxiety and frustration, exacerbates challenges in divided attention tasks.

This finding underscores that reduced accuracy in divided attention tasks could adversely affect working memory, making it difficult to temporarily retain information. This can complicate everyday tasks, such as following directions while driving or remembering a phone number, as highlighted by the researchers.