title: A pilot study of anterior cingulate cortex neurochemistry in adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H MRS) to evaluate the neurochemistry of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Adolescents with GAD (n = 10) and healthy subjects (n = 10) underwent a ¹H MRS scan at 4 T. Glutamate (Glu), N-acetyl aspartate, creatine (Cr) and myo-inositol concentrations were measured in the ACC and were compared between untreated adolescents with GAD and age- and sex-matched healthy subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Glu/Cr ratios in the ACC correlated with the severity of both generalized anxiety symptoms on the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale and with total anxiety symptom severity as measured by the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, but did not differ between adolescents with GAD and healthy subjects. In addition, no differences in N-acetyl aspartate, Cr, or myo-inositol were detected between groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that Glu/Cr in untreated adolescents with GAD may relate to the severity of anxiety symptoms and raise the possibility that dysregulation of Glu within the ACC may be linked to the pathophysiology of pediatric GAD.
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. strawnjr@uc.edu
authors: Jeffrey R
authors: JR
authors: Strawn
authors: Wen-Jang
authors: WJ
authors: Chu
authors: Rachel M
authors: RM
authors: Whitsel
authors: Wade A
authors: WA
authors: Weber
authors: Matthew M
authors: MM
authors: Norris
authors: Caleb M
authors: CM
authors: Adler
authors: James C
authors: JC
authors: Eliassen
authors: K Luan
authors: KL
authors: Phan
authors: Stephen M
authors: SM
authors: Strakowski
authors: Melissa P
authors: MP
authors: DelBello
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000378:metabolism*; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003401:Creatine / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007294:Inositol / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects
chemical_list: D001224:Aspartic Acid; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D007294:Inositol; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D003401:Creatine