Linking GABA and glutamate levels to cognitive skill acquisition during development

Journal article

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 inhibitoryneurochemical expression (glutamate, g-aminobutyric acid (GABA)) contribute to skill acquisition duringdevelopment. Here we used single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to reveal howdifferences in cortical glutamate vs. GABA ratios relate to face proficiency and working memory abilities inchildren and adults. We show that higher glutamate levels in the inferior frontal gyrus correlated positivelywith face processing proficiency in the children, but not the adults, an effect which was independent ofage-dependent differences in underlying cortical gray matter. Moreover, we found that glutamate/GABAlevels and gray matter volume are dissociated at the different maturational stages. These findings suggestthat increased excitation during development is linked to neuroplasticity and the acquisition of new cogni-tive skills. They also offer a new, neurochemical approach to investigating the relationship between cogni-tive performance and brain development across the lifespan.

Authors: Kadosh, K; Krause, B; King, A; Near, J; Kadosh, R

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Human Brain Mapping
• Volume: 36
• Issue: 11
• Pages: 4334-4345
• Publication date: 2015-10-23
• Acceptance date: 2015-07-16
• DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22921
• EISSN: 1097-0193
• ISSN: 1065-9471
• Keywords: cognitive development; glutamate; working memory; -aminobutyric acid; magnetic resonance spectroscopy; face processing; cortical excitability