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. 1999 Jun;156(6):952-4.
doi: 10.1176/ajp.156.6.952.

Preliminary evidence of low cortical GABA levels in localized 1H-MR spectra of alcohol-dependent and hepatic encephalopathy patients

K L Behar  1 , D L Rothman, K F Petersen, M Hooten, R Delaney, O A Petroff, G I Shulman, V Navarro, I L Petrakis, D S Charney, J H Krystal
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Preliminary evidence of low cortical GABA levels in localized 1H-MR spectra of alcohol-dependent and hepatic encephalopathy patients

K L Behar et al. Am J Psychiatry. 1999 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: 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.

Method: 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.

Results: 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.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that GABA-ergic systems are altered in both alcohol-dependent and hepatic encephalopathy patients.

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