IIT-Bombay study finds PCOS may cause attention issues in women

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), an endocrine disorder in women, may have an effect on focused and divided attention, according to a study by researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay.

The study, published in the open-access journal BioPsychoSocial Medicine, focuses on the impact of PCOS on attention, which forms the precursor for cognitive processing. While focused attention is essential for focusing on relevant information and filtering out irrelevant stimuli, divided attention helps handle and respond to multiple tasks simultaneously.

PCOS presents symptoms like irregular or absent period, polycystic ovaries, and increased levels of male hormone (androgen). While the physical impact of the condition is known, its mental effects are comparatively less explored.

Through two task-based tests, Prof Azizuddin Khan and Maitreyi Redkar from Psychophysiology Laboratory, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Bombay, co-authors of the study, found that women with PCOS were slower to react and more easily distracted than those without PCOS.

Two groups of participants, 101 women with PCOS and 72 women without PCOS, undertook the tests. Women with PCOS showed over a 50 per cent slower response and made about 10 per cent more errors than the ones without PCOS in the focused attention test. In the divided attention task, women with PCOS performed about 20 per cent slowly, with 3 per cent extra errors, as compared to the ones without PCOS.

The researchers used two task-based tests, the Flanker Task and the Posner Cueing Task, to test individuals with and without PCOS for accuracy and response time (speed). The Flanker Task assesses the participant’s ability to avoid distracting stimuli while focusing only on important information. On the other hand, the Posner Cueing task assesses divided attention based on how quickly the participants focus on the correct spot and how efficiently they shift their focus from the wrong one.

Prof Khan, who led the study, explains, “The cognitive experiments are specifically designed to capture the subtle millisecond-level differences in how individuals respond to critical stimuli. These minute delays reveal significant impairments in attention, which may impact our real-life functioning. In the specific context of focused attention, it is not just about concentrating on the task at hand to respond at the right time but also inhibiting irrelevant distractors.”

The study reveals that hormonal imbalance associated with PCOS could lead to decreased alertness and longer reaction times. Along with elevated androgen levels, the participants with PCOS had insulin resistance that is linked to attention. Insulin resistance causes poor glucose metabolism and affects brain cell (neuron) activity, leading to poor performance in focused attention tasks. Mental fatigue linked to PCOS, such as anxiety and frustration, makes divided attention tasks more challenging.

The findings highlight that decreased accuracy in divided attention tasks may influence working memory, which hinders holding information temporarily. This makes daily activities such as keeping track of directions while driving or remembering a phone number more challenging.

Playing brain games focusing on attention and memory can improve response time (speed) and accuracy. Relaxation and stress reduction techniques may reduce stress and anxiety and improve focus and speed, according to researchers.

“Increasing physical activity levels, maintaining a nutritious diet, and reducing weight are beneficial not just for PCOS symptoms but also for cognitive health. Even improving sleep hygiene contributes significantly to improving attentional accuracy and reaction time,” Prof Khan suggests.

This article first appeared on Mid Day