The study of amino acid neurotransmitter changes in mood disorder and anxiety disorder assessed by high field proton MRS.

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To investigate the abnormalities of neural function or metabolism in mental disorders, we measured the neurochemical changes in the anterior cingulate (ACC) and bilateral basal ganglia by using high magnetic field (3 Tesla) proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in the patients of mood disorders and anxiety disorders. Especially, we examined changes of the level of amino acid neurotransmitter such as glutamate and gamma amino butyric acid (GABA).Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients had significantly reduced levels of N-acetyl aspertate (NAA) and glutamate (Glu) in the ACC compared to matched controls. NAA levels in the right basal ganglia in OCD patients were higher than those in the left basal ganglia. No differences were found in levels of GABA between OCD patients and controls. Panic disorder patients had significantly higher levels of Glx (glutamate+glutamine) in the right basal ganglia compared to controls. Major depression patients had significantly reduced levels of Glu in the ACC compared to controls.In the present study we found specific changes of amino acid neurotransmitters in each disorder, although these findings are preliminary that need further study with more samples.