Non-invasive evaluation of the GABAergic/glutamatergic system in autistic patients observed by MEGA-editing proton MR spectroscopy using a clinical 3 tesla instrument.

Abstract

Amino acids related to neurotransmitters and the GABAergic/glutamatergic system were measured using a 3 T-MRI instrument in 12 patients with autism and 10 normal controls. All measurements were performed in the frontal lobe (FL) and lenticular nuclei (LN) using a conventional sequence for n-acetyl aspartate (NAA) and glutamate (Glu), and the MEGA-editing method for GABA. The GABA level and [GABA]/[NAA] ratio were significantly lower (p < 0.01) in the FL, but not the LN, in patients with autism compared to normal controls. The [GABA]/[Glu] ratio in the FL was also significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the patients than in the normal controls, thus suggesting a possible abnormality in the regulation between GABA and Glu.