title: GABA-based evaluation of neurologic conditions: MR spectroscopy.
abstract: GABA serves as a major neurotransmitter of the brain and functions mainly to inhibit neural excitatory activity. Disruption of the GABAergic processes appears to occur in various neurologic and psychiatric conditions, including epilepsy, mood disorders, motor disorders such as focal dystonia and stiff-person syndrome, sleep disorders, neuroplasticity, and drug and alcohol dependence. These concentration differences may be ascertained by using MR spectroscopy to provide information on the concentration of different metabolites. This review briefly discusses advances in MR spectroscopy methods and explores the application of this technique to detect changes in GABA due to disease processes and medication-induced effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20037, USA. llevy@mfa.gwu.edu
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Degnan
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018756:GABA Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D018756:GABA Antagonists; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid