Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid: A Promising Biomarker for Antipsychotic Treatment?

The major inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is thought to play a role in the pathophysiology of numerous psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Although hypotheses of GABA dysfunction in schizophrenia extend back more than 4 decades (1) and have evolved into a cogent, well-accepted conceptual framework (2), there remains sparse in  vivo supporting evidence. Most evidence supporting an abnormal GABA system in schizophrenia spectrum disorders stems from postmortem brain studies that consistently reported diminished messenger RNA or protein of the GABA-synthesizing enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 and GABA transporter-1 (3 ), although the GABA transporter-1 finding may be specific to chandelier neurons.
Source: Biological Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Commentary Source Type: research