Linking GABA and glutamate levels to cognitive skill acquisition during development.
Developmental adjustments in the balance of excitation and inhibition are thought to constrain the plasticity of sensory areas of the cortex. It is unknown however, how changes in excitatory or inhibitory neurochemical expression (glutamate, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)) contribute to skill acquisition during development. Here we used single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to reveal how differences in cortical glutamate vs. GABA ratios relate to face proficiency and working memory abilities in children and adults. We show that higher glutamate levels in the inferior frontal gyrus correlated positively with face processing proficiency in the children, but not the adults, an effect which was independent of age-dependent differences in underlying cortical gray matter. Moreover, we found that glutamate/GABA levels and gray matter volume are dissociated at the different maturational stages. These findings suggest that increased excitation during development is linked to neuroplasticity and the acquisition of new cognitive skills. They also offer a new, neurochemical approach to investigating the relationship between cognitive performance and brain development across the lifespan.
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.|Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
Kathrin
K
Cohen Kadosh
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Beatrix
B
Krause
Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Andrew J
AJ
King
Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Jamie
J
Near
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Roi
R
Cohen Kadosh
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D000066499:Facial Recognition / Q000502:physiology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D066244:Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
cognitive development; cortical excitability; face processing; glutamate; magnetic resonance spectroscopy; working memory; γ-aminobutyric acid