Brain and Mind Centre, Children's Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
Autism Res. 2021 May;14(5):859-872. doi: 10.1002/aur.2487. Epub 2021 Feb 25.
GABA is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, and is essential to the balance of cortical excitation and inhibition. Reductions in GABA are proposed to result in an overly excitatory cortex that may cause, or contribute to, symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study employed a cross-sectional design to explore GABA+ differences in ASD and the impact of age, comparing 4-12 year olds with ASD (N = 24) to typically developing children (N = 35). GABA+ concentration was measured using edited magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the left parietal lobe. This study used a mixed model to investigate group differences between children with ASD and typically developing children. There was a significant difference in GABA+ levels between the groups, a significant effect of age and interaction between age and diagnostic group. The ASD group showed an association between GABA+ and age, with GABA+ levels gradually increasing with age (r = 0.59, p = 0.003). Typically developing children did not show age-related change in GABA+ concentration (r = 0.09, p = 0.60). By the age of 9, children with ASD showed GABA+ levels that were comparable to their typically developing peers. This study suggests that children with ASD have initially lower levels of GABA+ in the left parietal lobe compared to typically developing children, and that these initially lower levels of GABA+ increase with age in ASD within this region. It is suggested that this developmental shift of GABA+ levels within the left parietal lobe provides a possible explanation for the previously found reductions in childhood that does not persist in adults. LAY SUMMARY: This study measured levels of GABA in the left parietal lobe using magnetic resonance spectroscopy in children with ASD and typically developing children. GABA levels were initially lower in the ASD group, and increased with age, while GABA did not change with age in the typically developing group. This suggests that alterations in GABA signaling may be associated with ASD in childhood. Autism Res 2021, 14: 859-872. © 2021 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals LLC.
GABA 是大脑中主要的抑制性神经递质，对皮质兴奋和抑制的平衡至关重要。据推测，GABA 的减少会导致皮质过度兴奋，从而导致或促成自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的症状。本研究采用横断面设计，探索 ASD 中 GABA+的差异以及年龄的影响，并将 ASD 儿童（N=24）与发育正常的儿童（N=35）进行比较。使用左顶叶编辑磁共振波谱测量 GABA+浓度。本研究使用混合模型来研究 ASD 儿童和发育正常儿童之间的组间差异。两组间的 GABA+水平存在显著差异，年龄有显著影响，年龄与诊断组之间存在交互作用。ASD 组的 GABA+与年龄呈正相关，随着年龄的增长，GABA+水平逐渐升高（r=0.59，p=0.003）。发育正常的儿童 GABA+浓度与年龄无相关性（r=0.09，p=0.60）。到 9 岁时，ASD 儿童的 GABA+水平与发育正常的同龄人相当。本研究表明，与发育正常的儿童相比，ASD 儿童左顶叶的 GABA+初始水平较低，并且在该区域，ASD 中 GABA+的初始水平随着年龄的增长而增加。这表明左顶叶 GABA+水平的这种发育性变化可能为之前发现的儿童期减少但在成人期不持续的现象提供了一个可能的解释。 要点总结：本研究使用磁共振波谱测量 ASD 儿童和发育正常儿童左顶叶的 GABA 水平。ASD 组的 GABA 水平最初较低，且随年龄增长而增加，而发育正常组的 GABA 水平随年龄增长而不变。这表明 GABA 信号的改变可能与儿童期的 ASD 有关。Autism Res 2021, 14: 859-872. © 2021 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals LLC.
