===Development of frontal GABA and glutamate supports excitation/inhibition balance from adolescence into adulthood===
Maria I Perica, Finnegan J Calabro, Bart Larsen, Will Foran, Victor E Yushmanov, Hoby Hetherington, Brenden Tervo-Clemmens, Chan-Hong Moon, Beatriz Luna

**Abstract** \\
Animal and human postmortem studies provide evidence for changes in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and  glutamate in prefrontal cortex (PFC) during adolescence, suggesting shifts in excitation and inhibition balance  consistent with critical period plasticity. However, how GABA and glutamate change through adolescence and  how the balance of these inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters changes is not well understood in vivo in  humans. High field (7 Tesla) Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging was used to investigate age-related  changes in the balance of GABA/creatine (Cr) and glutamate/Cr in multiple developmentally-relevant regions  of frontal cortex in 144 10–30-year-olds. Results indicated a homogenous pattern of age-related Glu/Cr decreases  across regions, while age-related changes in GABA/Cr were heterogenous, with a mix of stable and decreasing  age effects. Importantly, balance between glutamate/Cr and GABA/Cr in areas of frontal cortex increased  through adolescence, suggesting the presence of critical period plasticity in frontal cortex at this significant time  of development when adult trajectories are established. 
  

[[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301008222001563|Development of frontal GABA and glutamate supports excitation/inhibition balance from adolescence into adulthood]]

Relevant Pages\\
[[grants:7t|Brain Mechanisms R01 (7T)]]\\
[[tools:pfc|MRSI PFC]] \\
[[brain:PFC]] \\
[[brain:GABA]] \\
[[brain:Glu]] \\