Decreased Brain GABA Levels in Patients with Migraine Without Aura: An Exploratory Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study. (15th April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wu, Xiaojuan; Han, Shuting; Yang, Yang; Dai, Hui; Wu, Peng; Zhao, Hongru; Jin, Xiaohong; Li, Yonggang
• Is Part Of: Neuroscience. Volume 488(2022)
• Page Start: 10
• Page End: 19
• Publication Date: 2022-04-15
• Subjects: 1H-MRS proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy -- ACC anterior cingulate gyrus -- AUC area under the curve -- Cr creatine -- CSF cerebrospinal fluid -- GABA gamma-aminobutyric acid -- GAD glutamate decarboxylase -- GAD-7 Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 -- Glx glutamate/glutamine complex -- GM gray matte -- HC healthy control -- MEGA-PRESS MEscher-Garwood Point RESolved Spectroscopy -- mPFC medial prefrontal lobe -- MWA migraine with aura -- MWoA migraine without aura -- PHQ-9 Patient Health Questionnaire-9 -- VAS visual analog scale -- VOI voxel of interest -- WM white matter -- EM episodic migraine -- CM chronic migraine; neurotransmitter -- 1H-MRS -- MEGA-PRESS -- migraine without aura; Neurochemistry -- Periodicals; Neurophysiology -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Neurochimie -- Périodiques; Neurophysiologie -- Périodiques; Neurochemistry; Neurophysiology; Electronic journals; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 612.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.02.010
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-4522

Abstract

Highlights: Patients with migraine without aura showed decreased GABA levels in ACC and mPFC. Decreased GABA levels were negatively correlated with attack frequency of patients. Glx level in ACC and mPFC did not differ between MWoA patients and healthy people. Abstract: Increasing neurophysiological studies had revealed that regional excitation-inhibition imbalance in the brain played a key role in the pathogenesis of migraine. This study aimed to explore the alterations in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate/glutamine complex (Glx) levels in the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC) and medial prefrontal lobe (mPFC) of patients with migraine without aura (MWoA) and investigate the correlation between neurotransmitter levels and clinical indicators. A total of 28 patients with MWoA and 28 sex-, age-, and education level–matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy scanning at 3.0 Tesla. MEscher-Garwood Point RESolved Spectroscopy (MEGA-PRESS) sequence was performed to acquire the spectral data of GABA and Glx in the ACC and mPFC. The clinical indicators and anxiety-depression states of all participants were assessed. The acquired GABA signal contained the overlapping signals of macromolecules and homocarnosine, hence expressed as GABA+. The creatine (Cr) signal was applied as an endogenous reference. We observed that GABA+/Cr levels were significantly lower in ACC and mPFC of patients with MWoA than of HCs, with no significant difference in Glx levels. Negative correlations between GABA+/Cr levels and attack frequency were found in the ACC and mPFC regions of patients. These results suggested that there might be a close relationship between ACC and mPFC GABAergic neurons abnormalities and the pathophysiological mechanisms of MWoA. It might be beneficial to targeted treatment for patients with MWoA.