Premium
Spectral‐editing measurements of GABA in the human brain with and without macromolecule suppression
Author(s) -
Harris Ashley D.,
Puts Nicolaas A.J.,
Barker Peter B.,
Edden Richard A.E.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.25549
Subject(s) - macromolecule , neuroscience , human brain , nuclear magnetic resonance , chemistry , biophysics , computer science , biology , physics , biochemistry
Purpose The conventional spectral‐editing experiment used to measure GABA in the human brain also contains a contribution from macromolecules (MM), and the combined GABA plus MM signal is often referred to as “GABA+”. More recently, methods have been developed to estimate GABA free from MM contamination. In this study, the relationship between GABA acquired with MM suppression and conventional GABA+ measurements was examined. Methods GABA‐edited MEGA‐PRESS experiments with and without MM suppression were performed in the sensorimotor and occipital cortex of 12 healthy subjects at 3 Tesla. The correlation between GABA+ and MM‐suppressed GABA measures was then determined. Results Across all data, a significant correlation between GABA+ and MM‐suppressed GABA was found (r = 0.48; P = 0.02). Regionally, the sensorimotor voxel showed a trend toward a correlation of r = 0.53, P = 0.07 and the occipital voxel did not show a correlation, r = 0.058, P = 0.9. Conclusion GABA+ and MM‐suppressed GABA are moderately correlated, but statistical power to reveal this relationship may vary regionally. The MM signal, while often assumed to be functionally irrelevant, appears to show inter‐individual and inter‐regional variance that impacts the correlation of GABA+ and MM‐suppressed GABA. Magn Reson Med 74:1523–1529, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.