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Abstract #2209

MRS of Basal-Ganglia in Parkinsons Disease Reveals Higher GABA Levels

Shalmali Dharmadhikari 1,2 , Ruoyun Ma 1,2 , Chien- Lin Yeh 1,2 , Sandy Snyder 1 , S E Zauber 3 , and Ulrike Dydak 1,2

1 School of Health Sciences, Purdue University, W Lafayette, IN, United States, 2 Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States, 3 Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an important inhibitory neurotransmitter of the basal ganglia, which is hypothesized to be altered in Parkinsons disease (PD). Our aim was to evaluate the use of GABA MRS for understanding these alterations and their relation to disease severity, while reducing influence of PD medicines. GABA MRS in PD patients, who were temporarily withheld medication, revealed elevated GABA levels in the thalamus, which were also associated with disease severity as measured clinically by motor scores. Thus GABA MRS confirms the role of GABA in PD and has a potential to be used a non-invasive biomarker of PD.

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