Undergraduate Honors Thesis

 

Excitatory/Inhibitory Neurotransmitter Concentrations in the Lateral PFC and their Relationships with Myelination of White Matter Tracts Public Deposited

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/3197xn53p
Abstract
  • During adolescence, both the myelination of the prefrontal cortex and the relationship
    between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission undergo extensive modulation. Using
    Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) to measure neurotransmitter concentrations, the
    current study focused on the dorsal and ventral regions of the lateral prefrontal cortex (l-PFC) as
    these two areas have distinct functions. Disruptions in the excitatory and inhibitory balance of
    the lateral prefrontal cortex have been linked to neuropsychiatric disorders and
    neurodevelopmental issues. This current study aims to investigate the relationship amongst
    adolescent individual difference in GABA+ and Glx (glutamate+glutamine) concentrations and
    the integrity of white matter tracts connecting prefrontal regions to other regions of the brain,
    which was indexed by fractional anisotropy (FA) of white matter tracts assessed through the use
    of Diffusor Tensor Imaging (DTI). The results of this study reveal sex specific associations, in
    which the female adolescents with higher dorsal GABA+ and mean neurotransmitter
    concentrations showed higher FA in the right anterior corona radiata (r-ACR), and male
    adolescents with higher dorsal Glx concentrations showed enhanced FA in the right
    cingulum-hippocampus and decreased FA in the left cingulum-hippocampus. These findings
    suggest a potential role for GABA and GLX in influencing structural connectivity during this
    period of adolescent development. Further studies could determine whether these
    neurotransmitter specific effects on white matter tracts might have had a potential impact on
    individual differences in emotional regulation and cognitive processing during this
    developmental time period.

Creator
Date Awarded
  • 2024-03-20
Academic Affiliation
Advisor
Committee Member
Granting Institution
Last Modified
  • 2024-04-18
Resource Type
Rights Statement
Language

Relationships

In Collection:

Items