近日，美国科罗拉多大学教授Marie T. Banich及其小组的研究开发出了青少年额前外侧皮质中γ-氨基丁酸和谷氨酸/谷氨酰胺与内化心理病理学相关的内在功能连接。这一研究成果发表在2025年5月26日出版的国际学术期刊《神经科学通报》上。

在这项研究中，小组系统地验证了一个假设，即在青春期的关键发育时期，在宏观尺度上，背侧和腹侧前额叶皮层中主要兴奋性和抑制性神经递质（谷氨酸/谷氨酰胺和γ-氨基丁酸 [GABA]）的浓度与大脑的功能连通性和个体的精神病理有关。神经递质通过磁共振波谱测量，功能连通性通过静息状态fMRI测量（n = 121）。基于种子和基于网络的分析揭示了神经递质浓度和通过结构连接连接到前额叶皮层的区域/网络之间的功能连接的关联，这些结构连接被认为是青春期动态发展的。这些区域往往是功能网络之间的边界区域。

此外，还发现了几种连接与个体的内化精神病理学水平有关。这些发现提供了对大脑宏观功能组织、青春期发育以及它与内化精神病理相关症状的潜在关联的特定神经化学机制的见解。

附：英文原文

Title: Intrinsic Functional Connectivity Associated with γAminobutyric Acid and Glutamate/Glutamine in the Lateral Prefrontal Cortex and Internalizing Psychopathology in Adolescents

Author: Wang, Kai, Smolker, Harry R., Brown, Mark S., Snyder, Hannah R., Cheng, Yu, Hankin, Benjamin L., Banich, Marie T.

Issue&Volume: 2025-05-26

Abstract: In this study, we systematically tested the hypothesis that during the critical developmental period of adolescence, on a macro scale, the concentrations of major excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters (glutamate/glutamine and γaminobutyric acid [GABA]) in the dorsal and ventral lateral prefrontal cortex are associated with the brain’s functional connectivity and an individual’s psychopathology. Neurotransmitters were measured via magnetic resonance spectroscopy while functional connectivity was measured with resting-state fMRI (n = 121). Seed-based and network-based analyses revealed associations of neurotransmitter concentrations and functional connectivities between regions/networks that are connected to prefrontal cortices via structural connections that are thought to be under dynamic development during adolescence. These regions tend to be boundary areas between functional networks. Furthermore, several connectivities were found to be associated with individual’s levels of internalizing psychopathology. These findings provide insights into specific neurochemical mechanisms underlying the brain’s macroscale functional organization, its development during adolescence, and its potential associations with symptoms associated with internalizing psychopathology.

DOI: 10.1007/s12264-025-01408-1

Source: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12264-025-01408-1