Richard AE Edden1, 2, Deana Crocetti3, He Zhu1, 2, Donald Gilbert4, Stewart H. Mostofsky3, 5
1Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States; 2FM Kirby Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States; 3Laboratory for Neurocognitive and Imaging Research, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States; 4Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; 5Laboratory for Neurocognitive and Imaging Research, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a developmental disorder characterized by a deficit in behavioral inhibition. Although most commonly associated with dopaminergic and noradrenergic abnormalities, it has recently been suggested that there is also a GABAergic component. In this study, we test this hypothesis using J-difference edited magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 3T to measure GABA concentration in a primary sensorimotor region. Our major finding is that GABA concentration is reduced in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder compared to typically developing controls.
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