Abstract #1131

Thalamic GABA and Glutamate Imbalance Associates with Cortical Degeneration in Early Psychosis: A 7T MRI Study

Zirun Wang^1,2, Yasser Alemán Gómez³, Martine Cleusix³, Raoul Jenni³, Luis Alameda³, Philippe Conus⁴, Meritxell Bach Cuadra^5,6, Patric Hagmann⁷, Kim Q. Do³, and Lijing Xin¹

¹Animal imaging and technology, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland, ²Division of Medical Physics, Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, ³Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland, ⁴Service of General Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland, ⁵CIBM Center for Biomedical Imaging, Lausanne, Switzerland, ⁶Radiology Department, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland, ⁷Diagnostic Neuroradiology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland

Synopsis

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders, Early psychosis, MRI, MRS, 7T

Motivation: Early psychosis (EP) is associated with grey matter cortical degeneration and cognition deficits, but underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We hypothesize dysregulated GABA and glutamate levels in thalamus contribute to remote cortical morphological changes in psychosis.

Goal(s): To investigate the relationship between brain cortical structures and metabolite levels in right thalamus (RTh) using 7T MRI and MRS in EP and healthy controls (HC).

Approach: MRI and MRS scans were conducted on 29 EP patients and 29 HC, followed by correlation analysis of cortical thickness and metabolite levels.

Results: Significant clusters revealed correlations between GABA, glutamate levels at RTh and cortical features only in EP.

Impact: This study enhances understanding of early psychosis by linking altered GABA and glutamate levels in the thalamus to cortical structural changes, supporting the role of excitation and inhibition imbalance in thalamocortical dysfunction in psychosis and highlighting the potential for targeted interventions.

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