Alterations of GABA and glutamate-glutamine levels in premenstrual dysphoric disorder: A 3T proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study

作者:Liu Bo; Wang Guangbin; Gao Dongmei; Gao Fei; Zhao Bin*; Qiao Mingqi; Yang Huan; Yu Yanhong; Ren Fuxin; Yang Ping; Chen Weibo; Rae Caroline D
来源:Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging , 2015, 231(1): 64-70.
DOI:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2014.10.020

摘要

Increasing evidence has suggested that the GABAergic neurotransmitter system is involved in the pathogenesis of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). We used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-1 MRS) to investigate whether PMDD is associated with alterations in brain GABA levels. Levels of glutamate-glutamine (Glx) were also explored. Participants comprised 22 women with PMDD and 22 age-matched healthy controls who underwent 3 T H-1 MRS during the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. GABA + and Glx levels were quantified in the anterior cingulate cortex/medial prefrontal cortex (ACC/mPFC) and the left basal ganglia (ItBG). Water-scaled GABA + concentrations and GABA +/tCr ratios were significantly lower in both the ACC/mPFC and ItBG regions of PMDD women than in healthy controls. Glx/tCr ratios were significantly higher in the ACC/mPFC region of PMDD women than healthy controls. Our preliminary findings provide the first report of abnormal levels of GABA + and Glx in mood-related brain regions of women with PMDD, indicating that dysregulation of the amino acid neurotransmitter system may be an important neurobiological mechanism in the pathogenesis of PMDD.