Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, USA.
Prog Neurobiol. 2022 Dec;219:102370. doi: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2022.102370. Epub 2022 Oct 27.
Animal and human postmortem studies provide evidence for changes in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate in prefrontal cortex (PFC) during adolescence, suggesting shifts in excitation and inhibition balance consistent with critical period plasticity. However, how GABA and glutamate change through adolescence and how the balance of these inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters changes is not well understood in vivo in humans. High field (7 Tesla) Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging was used to investigate age-related changes in the balance of GABA/creatine (Cr) and glutamate/Cr in multiple developmentally-relevant regions of frontal cortex in 144 10-30-year-olds. Results indicated a homogenous pattern of age-related Glu/Cr decreases across regions, while age-related changes in GABA/Cr were heterogenous, with a mix of stable and decreasing age effects. Importantly, balance between glutamate/Cr and GABA/Cr in areas of frontal cortex increased through adolescence, suggesting the presence of critical period plasticity in frontal cortex at this significant time of development when adult trajectories are established.
动物和人体死后研究为青少年时期前额皮质(PFC)中γ-氨基丁酸(GABA)和谷氨酸的变化提供了证据,表明兴奋和抑制平衡的转变与关键期可塑性一致。然而,GABA 和谷氨酸如何在青春期发生变化,以及这些抑制性和兴奋性神经递质的平衡如何在人类体内发生变化,目前还不是很清楚。高场(7 特斯拉)磁共振波谱成像技术被用于研究 144 名 10-30 岁青少年前额皮质中与发育相关的多个区域中 GABA/肌酸(Cr)和谷氨酸/Cr 平衡的年龄相关性变化。结果表明,各区域的谷氨酸/Cr 呈均匀的年龄相关性下降模式,而 GABA/Cr 的年龄相关性变化则具有异质性,既有稳定的年龄效应,也有下降的年龄效应。重要的是,前额皮质区域中谷氨酸/Cr 和 GABA/Cr 之间的平衡在青春期增加,这表明在成年轨迹确立的这个重要发育时期,前额皮质存在关键期可塑性。