Prefrontal Glutamate Neurotransmission in PTSD: A Novel Approach to Estimate Synaptic Strength in Vivo in Humans.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Trauma and chronic stress are believed to induce and exacerbate psychopathology by disrupting glutamate synaptic strength. However, in vivo in human methods to estimate synaptic strength are limited. In this study, we established a novel putative biomarker of glutamatergic synaptic strength, termed energy-per-cycle (EPC). Then, we used EPC to investigate the role of prefrontal neurotransmission in trauma-related psychopathology.

Methods

Healthy controls (n = 18) and patients with posttraumatic stress (PTSD; n = 16) completed ¹³C-acetate magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) scans to estimate prefrontal EPC, which is the ratio of neuronal energetic needs per glutamate neurotransmission cycle (V_TCA/V_Cycle).

Results

Pati

SUBMITTER: Averill LA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9008809 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature