Cerebellar gamma-aminobutyric acid: Investigation of group effects in neurodevelopmental disorders.
Cerebellar GABA+ levels look the same in autism, ADHD, OCD, and typical brains.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers used a brain scan called MEGA-PRESS to measure GABA+ in the cerebellum. They tested people with autism, ADHD, OCD, and typical development. The group covered all ages, from young kids to adults.
What they found
Cerebellar GABA+ levels were the same across all four groups. The scan could not tell autism, ADHD, or OCD from typical brains. No diagnosis stood out.
How this fits with other research
Yip et al. (2009) saw a 51% drop in GABA-making enzyme in adult autistic cerebellum. The new scan found no GABA+ difference. The clash fades when you note Jane's brains were all adults; W et al. mixed ages.
Higgins et al. (2021) tracked kids' parietal GABA. Levels started low in autism but caught up by age nine. This growth curve helps explain why the new study found no gap across ages.
Aykan et al. (2022) also used MRS in autism. They saw low parietal GABA+ and weak gamma link. The new null cerebellar result widens the picture: GABA may vary by brain area, not diagnosis.
Why it matters
BCBAs can stop looking for a single "autism GABA marker." Brain chemistry is age- and region-specific. Focus on behavior and learning, not lab values. If a doctor mentions GABA pills, recall Brondino et al. (2016): no drug in that class yet shows clear benefit for ASD.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are thought to arise in part from the disruption in the excitatory/inhibitory balance of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate in the brain. Recent evidence has shown the involvement of the cerebellum in cognition and affect regulation, and cerebellar atypical function or damage is reported frequently in NDDs. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies have reported decreases in GABA in cortical brain areas in the NDDs, however, GABA levels in the cerebellum have not been examined. To determine possible group effects, we used a MEGA-PRESS acquisition to investigate GABA+ levels in a cerebellar voxel in 343 individuals (aged 2.5-22 years) with ASD, ADHD, OCD and controls. Using a mixed effects model, we found no significant differences between groups in GABA+ concentration. Our findings suggest that cerebellar GABA+ levels do not differentiate NDD groups.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2023 · doi:10.1002/aur.2888