BACKGROUND: The brain undergoes major remodeling during adolescence, resulting in improved cognitive control and decision-making and reduced impulsivity, components of behavior mediated in part by the maturing frontal lobe. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), the main inhibitory neurotransmitter system, also matures during adolescence, with frontal lobe GABA receptors reaching adult levels late in adolescence. Thus, the objective of this study was to characterize in vivo developmental differences in brain GABA levels. METHODS: Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used at 4 T to acquire metabolite data from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the parieto-occipital cortex (POC) in adolescents (n=30) and emerging adults (n = 20). RESULTS: ACC GABA/creatine (Cr) levels were significantly lower in adolescents relative to emerging adults, whereas no age differences were observed in the POC. Lower ACC GABA/Cr levels were significantly associated with greater impulsivity and worse response inhibition, with relationships being most pronounced for ACC GABA/Cr and No-Go response inhibition in adolescent males. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide the first human developmental in vivo evidence confirming frontal lobe GABA maturation, which was linked to impulsiveness and cognitive control. These findings suggest that reduced GABA may be an important neurobiological mechanism in the immature adolescent brain, contributing to the reduced yet rapidly developing ability to inhibit risky behaviors and to make suboptimal decisions, which could compromise adolescent health and safety.
BACKGROUND: The brain undergoes major remodeling during adolescence, resulting in improved cognitive control and decision-making and reduced impulsivity, components of behavior mediated in part by the maturing frontal lobe. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), the main inhibitory neurotransmitter system, also matures during adolescence, with frontal lobe GABA receptors reaching adult levels late in adolescence. Thus, the objective of this study was to characterize in vivo developmental differences in brain GABA levels. METHODS: Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used at 4 T to acquire metabolite data from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the parieto-occipital cortex (POC) in adolescents (n=30) and emerging adults (n = 20). RESULTS: ACC GABA/creatine (Cr) levels were significantly lower in adolescents relative to emerging adults, whereas no age differences were observed in the POC. Lower ACC GABA/Cr levels were significantly associated with greater impulsivity and worse response inhibition, with relationships being most pronounced for ACC GABA/Cr and No-Go response inhibition in adolescent males. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide the first human developmental in vivo evidence confirming frontal lobe GABA maturation, which was linked to impulsiveness and cognitive control. These findings suggest that reduced GABA may be an important neurobiological mechanism in the immature adolescent brain, contributing to the reduced yet rapidly developing ability to inhibit risky behaviors and to make suboptimal decisions, which could compromise adolescent health and safety.
Authors: Clara Quetscher; Ali Yildiz; Shalmali Dharmadhikari; Benjamin Glaubitz; Tobias Schmidt-Wilcke; Ulrike Dydak; Christian Beste Journal: Brain Struct Funct Date: 2014-08-26 Impact factor: 3.270
Authors: Mark Mikkelsen; Peter B Barker; Pallab K Bhattacharyya; Maiken K Brix; Pieter F Buur; Kim M Cecil; Kimberly L Chan; David Y-T Chen; Alexander R Craven; Koen Cuypers; Michael Dacko; Niall W Duncan; Ulrike Dydak; David A Edmondson; Gabriele Ende; Lars Ersland; Fei Gao; Ian Greenhouse; Ashley D Harris; Naying He; Stefanie Heba; Nigel Hoggard; Tun-Wei Hsu; Jacobus F A Jansen; Alayar Kangarlu; Thomas Lange; R Marc Lebel; Yan Li; Chien-Yuan E Lin; Jy-Kang Liou; Jiing-Feng Lirng; Feng Liu; Ruoyun Ma; Celine Maes; Marta Moreno-Ortega; Scott O Murray; Sean Noah; Ralph Noeske; Michael D Noseworthy; Georg Oeltzschner; James J Prisciandaro; Nicolaas A J Puts; Timothy P L Roberts; Markus Sack; Napapon Sailasuta; Muhammad G Saleh; Michael-Paul Schallmo; Nicholas Simard; Stephan P Swinnen; Martin Tegenthoff; Peter Truong; Guangbin Wang; Iain D Wilkinson; Hans-Jörg Wittsack; Hongmin Xu; Fuhua Yan; Chencheng Zhang; Vadim Zipunnikov; Helge J Zöllner; Richard A E Edden Journal: Neuroimage Date: 2017-07-14 Impact factor: 6.556
Authors: Isabelle M Rosso; David J Crowley; Marisa M Silveri; Scott L Rauch; J Eric Jensen Journal: Neuropsychopharmacology Date: 2017-02-13 Impact factor: 7.853
Authors: Yasmin Mashhoon; Charles Czerkawski; David J Crowley; Julia E Cohen-Gilbert; Jennifer T Sneider; Marisa M Silveri Journal: Alcohol Clin Exp Res Date: 2014-06-24 Impact factor: 3.455