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Neurotransmitter changes during interference task in anterior cingulate cortex: evidence from fMRI-guided functional MRS at 3 T

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Abstract

Neural activity as indirectly observed in blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) response is thought to reflect changes in neurotransmitter flux. In this study, we used fMRI-guided functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to measure metabolite/BOLD associations during a cognitive task at 3 T. GABA and glutamate concentration in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) were determined by means of MRS using the SPECIAL pulse sequence before, during and after the performance of a manual Stroop task. MRS voxel positions were centred around individuals’ BOLD activity during Stroop performance. Levels of GABA and glutamate showed inverted U-shape patterns across measurement time points (before, during, and after task), glutamine increased linearly and total creatine did not change. The GABA increase during task performance was associated with ACC BOLD signal changes in both congruent and incongruent Stroop conditions. Using an fMRI-guided MRS approach, an association between induced inhibitory neurotransmitter increase and BOLD changes was observed. The proposed procedure might allow the in vivo investigation of normal and dysfunctional associations between neurotransmitters and BOLD signal crucial for cerebral functioning.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Center for Lifespan Psychology, Lentzeallee 94, 14195, Berlin, Germany

    Simone Kühn, Elisabeth Wenger & Ulman Lindenberger

  2. Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Abbestr. 2-12, 10587, Berlin, Germany

    Florian Schubert, Ralf Mekle & Bernd Ittermann

  3. St. Hedwig-Krankenhaus, Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité University Medicine, Große Hamburger Straße 5-11, 10115, Berlin, Germany

    Jürgen Gallinat

  4. University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, Clinic and Policlinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany

    Simone Kühn & Jürgen Gallinat

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  1. Simone Kühn
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  2. Florian Schubert
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  3. Ralf Mekle
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  6. Ulman Lindenberger
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  7. Jürgen Gallinat
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Correspondence to Simone Kühn.

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Kühn, S., Schubert, F., Mekle, R. et al. Neurotransmitter changes during interference task in anterior cingulate cortex: evidence from fMRI-guided functional MRS at 3 T. Brain Struct Funct 221, 2541–2551 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-015-1057-0

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