GABA and Gamma: GABA MRS Correlates with Gamma Oscillations Recorded with MEG in Visual and Motor Cortex

Timothy P.L. Roberts¹, William Gaetz¹, D J. Wang¹, Nouha Salibi², James Christopher Edgar¹

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a significant inhibitory neurotransmitter in the human brain. Its presence can be revealed using a spectral editing MR spectroscopy technique (MEGAPRESS), allowing it to be resolved from the overlapping Cr resonance. In this study GABA signal from visual and motor cortex was shown to correlate with gamma oscillation frequency determined by MEG and originating from the corresponding region. Further, both GABA magnitude and gamma frequency were shown to correlate negatively with subject age. This multimodal approach accesses the neurobiology underlying brain function.