1
|
Song Y, Hupfeld KE, Davies-Jenkins CW, Zöllner HJ, Murali-Manohar S, Mumuni AN, Crocetti D, Yedavalli V, Oeltzschner G, Alessi N, Batschelett MA, Puts NAJ, Mostofsky SH, Edden RAE. Brain Glutathione and GABA+ levels in autistic children. bioRxiv 2023:2023.09.28.559718. [PMID: 37808813 PMCID: PMC10557661 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.28.559718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social communication challenges and repetitive behaviors. Altered neurometabolite levels, including glutathione (GSH) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), have been proposed as potential contributors to the biology underlying ASD. This study investigated whether cerebral GSH or GABA levels differ between a large cohort of children aged 8-12 years with ASD (n=52) and typically developing children (TDC, n=49). A comprehensive analysis of GSH and GABA levels in multiple brain regions, including the primary motor cortex (SM1), thalamus (Thal), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and supplementary motor area (SMA), was conducted using single-voxel HERMES MR spectroscopy at 3T. The results revealed no significant differences in cerebral GSH or GABA levels between the ASD and TDC groups across all examined regions. These findings suggest that the concentrations of GSH (an important antioxidant and neuromodulator) and GABA (a major inhibitory neurotransmitter) do not exhibit marked alterations in children with ASD compared to TDC. A statistically significant positive correlation was observed between GABA levels in the SM1 and Thal regions with ADHD inattention scores. No significant correlation was found between metabolite levels and hyper/impulsive scores of ADHD, measures of core ASD symptoms (ADOS-2, SRS-P) or adaptive behavior (ABAS-2). While both GSH and GABA have been implicated in various neurological disorders, the current study provides valuable insights into the specific context of ASD and highlights the need for further research to explore other neurochemical alterations that may contribute to the pathophysiology of this complex disorder.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yulu Song
- The Russel H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Kathleen E Hupfeld
- The Russel H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Christopher W Davies-Jenkins
- The Russel H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Helge J Zöllner
- The Russel H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Saipavitra Murali-Manohar
- The Russel H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | | | - Deana Crocetti
- Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Vivek Yedavalli
- The Russel H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Georg Oeltzschner
- The Russel H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Natalie Alessi
- Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Mitchell A Batschelett
- Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Nicolaas A J Puts
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
- MRC Center for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stewart H Mostofsky
- Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Richard A E Edden
- The Russel H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
| |
Collapse
|