title: Increase in amino acids in the pons after sleep deprivation: a pilot study using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
abstract: Total sleep deprivation (TSD) is an efficient method to relieve depression. An involvement of GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission in the pathophysiology of depression and the mechanism of action of TSD has been suggested. To directly assess the content of GABA, glutamate (Glu) and glutamine (Gln) before and after TSD, we estimated their concentrations in four brain regions in six healthy subjects using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The unresolved estimate of GABA, Glu and Gln, as well as GABA and Gln were increased in the pons after 24 h of TSD, the effect being prominent in three subjects. There were no significant changes in the hypothalamus, thalamus or parietooccipital cortex. These preliminary data support earlier animal data and indirect findings in humans suggesting that GABA and Gln, especially in the pontine structures, may play a key role in the mechanism of TSD.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Murck
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Struttmann
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Czisch
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wetter
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Steiger
authors.forename: Dorothee P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Auer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D005973:Glutamine / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D011149:Pons / Q000378:metabolism*; D011522:Protons; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000378:metabolism*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D011522:Protons; D005973:Glutamine; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid