Age-related parietal GABA alterations in children with autism spectrum disorder.
Parietal GABA starts low in autistic kids, then normalizes by age nine, so adult data can mislead pediatric plans.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team used brain scans to measure GABA in the parietal lobe. They compared kids with autism to same-age peers.
All children sat still for a special MRI called MEGA-PRESS. It counts the GABA+ signal without any shots or dye.
What they found
Younger children with autism had lower GABA+ levels. By around age nine, the levels caught up to typical values.
The gap closed smoothly as age increased. This means adult GABA findings do not fit little kids.
How this fits with other research
Aykan et al. (2022) also saw low GABA markers in autistic kids. They used EEG instead of MRI, yet the child deficit matches.
Q et al. (2024) found GABA signs in adults with autism. Their retinal test shows the difference can last past childhood, so age matters.
Frazier et al. (2023) found no GABA difference in the cerebellum. The new study points to the parietal lobe, so brain region matters too.
Why it matters
If you assess a six-year-old, expect low parietal GABA today, but know it may self-correct soon. Do not use adult GABA studies to set goals for young clients. Track age, not just diagnosis, when you interpret neuroimaging or plan GABA-targeted meds.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
GABA is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, and is essential to the balance of cortical excitation and inhibition. Reductions in GABA are proposed to result in an overly excitatory cortex that may cause, or contribute to, symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study employed a cross-sectional design to explore GABA+ differences in ASD and the impact of age, comparing 4-12 year olds with ASD (N = 24) to typically developing children (N = 35). GABA+ concentration was measured using edited magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the left parietal lobe. This study used a mixed model to investigate group differences between children with ASD and typically developing children. There was a significant difference in GABA+ levels between the groups, a significant effect of age and interaction between age and diagnostic group. The ASD group showed an association between GABA+ and age, with GABA+ levels gradually increasing with age (r = 0.59, p = 0.003). Typically developing children did not show age-related change in GABA+ concentration (r = 0.09, p = 0.60). By the age of 9, children with ASD showed GABA+ levels that were comparable to their typically developing peers. This study suggests that children with ASD have initially lower levels of GABA+ in the left parietal lobe compared to typically developing children, and that these initially lower levels of GABA+ increase with age in ASD within this region. It is suggested that this developmental shift of GABA+ levels within the left parietal lobe provides a possible explanation for the previously found reductions in childhood that does not persist in adults. LAY SUMMARY: This study measured levels of GABA in the left parietal lobe using magnetic resonance spectroscopy in children with ASD and typically developing children. GABA levels were initially lower in the ASD group, and increased with age, while GABA did not change with age in the typically developing group. This suggests that alterations in GABA signaling may be associated with ASD in childhood. Autism Res 2021, 14: 859-872. © 2021 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2021 · doi:10.1002/aur.2487