Preliminary Evidence of Low Cortical GABA Levels in Localized1H-MR Spectra of Alcohol-Dependent and Hepatic Encephalopathy Patients
- 1 June 1999
- journal article
- Published by American Psychiatric Association Publishing in American Journal of Psychiatry
- Vol. 156 (6) , 952-954
- https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.156.6.952
Abstract
The aim of the study was to compare levels of neuroactive amino acids in the cerebral cortex of healthy subjects, recently detoxified alcohol-dependent patients, and patients with hepatic encephalopathy. Metabolite levels were measured in the occipital cortex by using spatially localized 1H-MRS. Five recently detoxified alcohol-dependent and five hepatic encephalopathy patients with alcohol and non-alcohol-related disease were compared with 10 healthy subjects. The combined level of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) plus homocarnosine was lower in the alcohol-dependent and hepatic encephalopathy patients than in the healthy subjects. The findings suggest that GABA-ergic systems are altered in both alcohol-dependent and hepatic encephalopathy patients.Keywords
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