Abstract #0029

GABA and glutamate in children with Tourette Syndrome: a 7T 1H-MRS study

Nicolaas AJ Puts^1,2, Richard AE Edden^1,2, Matthew Ryan³, E Mark Mahone^3,4, and Harvey S Singer⁵

¹Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States, ²FM Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States, ³Department of Neuropsychology, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States, ⁴Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States, ⁵Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States

Studies have suggested that altered inhibition and excitation contribute to the pathology of Tourette syndrome, especially in cortical-striatal-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) pathways. GABA and glutamate were measured at 7T in large cohorts of healthy children and children with TS in regions of the CSTC network. GABA and glutamate were increased in the striatum. Glutamate was increased in the premotor region and correlated with reduced motor inhibition. These data support involvement of habitual behavioral pathways in TS. Historically the dopaminergic system has been considered to have a dominant role in TS; however, accumulating evidence strongly suggests involvement of GABA and glutamate neurotransmitter systems.

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