Prefrontal cortical gamma-aminobutyric Acid levels in panic disorder determined by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
- Hasler G Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland. g.hasler@bluewin.ch
- van der Veen JW
- Geraci M
- Shen J
- Pine D
- Drevets WC
- 2008-08-12
Published in:
- Biological psychiatry. - 2009
Adolescent
Adult
Aspartic Acid
Brain Chemistry
Choline
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Male
Middle Aged
Occipital Lobe
Panic Disorder
Prefrontal Cortex
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Young Adult
gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
English
BACKGROUND
Panic disorder (PD) is hypothesized to be associated with altered function of the major inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Previous proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies found lower GABA concentrations in the occipital cortex of subjects with PD relative to healthy control subjects. The current study is the first MRS study to compare GABA concentrations between unmedicated PD subjects and control subjects in the prefrontal cortex (PFC).
METHODS
Unmedicated subjects with PD (n = 17) and age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects (n = 17) were scanned on a 3 Tesla scanner using a transmit-receive head coil that provided a sufficiently homogenous radiofrequency field to obtain spectroscopic measurements in the dorsomedial/dorsal anterolateral and ventromedial areas of the PFC.
RESULTS
The prefrontal cortical GABA concentrations did not differ significantly between PD subjects and control subjects. There also was no statistically significant difference in glutamate/glutamine (Glx), choline, or N-acetyl aspartate concentrations.
CONCLUSIONS
The previously reported finding of reduced GABA concentrations in the occipital cortex of PD subjects does not appear to extend to the PFC.
Panic disorder (PD) is hypothesized to be associated with altered function of the major inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Previous proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies found lower GABA concentrations in the occipital cortex of subjects with PD relative to healthy control subjects. The current study is the first MRS study to compare GABA concentrations between unmedicated PD subjects and control subjects in the prefrontal cortex (PFC).
METHODS
Unmedicated subjects with PD (n = 17) and age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects (n = 17) were scanned on a 3 Tesla scanner using a transmit-receive head coil that provided a sufficiently homogenous radiofrequency field to obtain spectroscopic measurements in the dorsomedial/dorsal anterolateral and ventromedial areas of the PFC.
RESULTS
The prefrontal cortical GABA concentrations did not differ significantly between PD subjects and control subjects. There also was no statistically significant difference in glutamate/glutamine (Glx), choline, or N-acetyl aspartate concentrations.
CONCLUSIONS
The previously reported finding of reduced GABA concentrations in the occipital cortex of PD subjects does not appear to extend to the PFC.
- Language
-
- English
- Open access status
- green
- Identifiers
-
- DOI 10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.06.023
- PMID 18692172
- Persistent URL
- https://sonar.ch/global/documents/47620
Statistics
Document views: 37
File downloads:
- Full-text: 0