Task-related measures of short-interval intracortical inhibition and GABA levels in healthy young and older adults: A multimodal TMS-MRS study

Cuypers, Koen; Verstraelen, Stefanie; Maes, Celine; Hermans, Lize; Hehl, Melina; Heise, Kirstin; Chalavi, Sima; Mikkelsen, Mark E.; Edden, Richard A.E.; Levin, Oron; Sunaert, Stefan; Meesen, Raf; Mantini, Dante; Swinnen, Stephan P.

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116470

Cited by 37 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…It may be that the less well tuned non-dominant sensorimotor system is more susceptible to excitation-inhibition variations and hence has a more pronounced effect on time-sensitive neural communication. Consistent with this assumption are previous findings of less variance and higher efficiency in sensorimotor processing to co-occur with higher GABA+ levels in the dominant hemisphere [31].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…While we did not find a hemispheric difference in sensorimotor GABA+ concentration in either group in the unimodal analysis, the Bayesian model was sensitive to the actual variance. Previous MRS data from our own group support a hemispheric asymmetry in sensorimotor GABA+ concentration with lower concentration in the non-dominant hemisphere 25,26 . Electrophysiological data evidences an imbalance of phasic and tonic GABAergic inhibitory mechanisms within the motor system, also reflecting reduced fine-tuning of the non-dominant hemisphere across various age groups (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

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The interaction between endogenous GABA, functional connectivity and behavioral flexibility is critically altered with advanced age

Heise

Rueda‐Delgado

Chalavi

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Previous links endogenous gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) with behavioral efficiency across perceptual and cognitive domains but with potentially strongest impact on those types of behavior that require a high level of dynamic control. Using a Bayesian moderated mediation analysis, we modeled the age-associated interactions between electroencephalography- and electromyography-derived connectivity metrics and behavior and investigated the specificity of the indirect effect of GABA concentration as measured with magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Only the integrated analysis of all three modalities revealed marked differences between the two age groups. Specifically, relatively lower GABA was more beneficial for the connectivity-behavior association in the young, whereas the older showed a beneficial behavioral effect in the presence of higher GABA given their generally elevated task-related connectivity. Age-related alteration of the preferred state of endogenous GABA concentration may reflect a generic compensatory mechanism allowing for higher temporal precision in neural tuning and maintaining a higher behavioral functioning level.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

The interaction between endogenous GABA, functional connectivity and behavioral flexibility is critically altered with advanced age

Heise

Rueda‐Delgado

Chalavi

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Conversely, earlier research has predominantly stimulated the dominant, left hemisphere (e.g., Antonenko et al, 2017;Stagg et al, 2009Stagg et al, , 2011b. There is evidence suggesting that both GABA levels (Cuypers et al, 2020) and the behavioral effects of tDCS differ between the two hemispheres (Schambra et al, 2011); however, any hemispheric differences of tDCS on GABA levels or functional…”

Section: Rs Functional Connectivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While research on the relationship between motor learning and GABA levels is abundant in young adults, considerably less is known in the context of healthy aging. This gap in the available literature is surprising given that older age is associated with deficits in motor learning and memory processes (e.g., King, Fogel, Albouy, & Doyon, 2013) as well as reduced GABA levels in multiple brain regions, including the sensorimotor cortex (Cassady et al, 2019;Chalavi et al, 2018;Cuypers et al, 2020;Gao et al, 2013;Grachev & Apkarian, 2001;Hermans, Leunissen, et al, 2018). It could be speculated that the lower GABA levels observed in older adults may compromise the reduction in GABA that is known to be critical for successful motor learning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Baseline sensorimotor GABA levels shape neuroplastic processes induced by motor learning in older adults

King

Rumpf

Verbaanderd

et al. 2020

Human Brain Mapping

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Previous research in young adults has demonstrated that both motor learning and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) trigger decreases in the levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the sensorimotor cortex, and these decreases are linked to greater learning. Less is known about the role of GABA in motor learning in healthy older adults, a knowledge gap that is surprising given the established aging-related reductions in sensorimotor GABA. Here, we examined the effects of motor learning and subsequent tDCS on sensorimotor GABA levels and resting-state functional connectivity in the brains of healthy older participants. Thirty-six older men and women completed a motor sequence learning task before receiving anodal or sham tDCS to the sensorimotor cortex. GABA-edited magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the sensorimotor cortex and resting-state (RS) functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired before and after learning/stimulation. At the group level, neither learning nor anodal tDCS significantly modulated GABA levels or RS connectivity among task-relevant regions. However, changes in GABA levels from the baseline to post-learning session were significantly related to motor learning magnitude, age, and baseline GABA. Moreover, the change in functional connectivity between task-relevant regions, including bilateral motor cortices, was correlated with

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“…Although these first studies suggest higher GABA levels to consistently relate to better motor performance, future work is required to confirm this association across different tasks and brain regions. The investigation of regional specificity is especially relevant in the context of aging as some studies suggest a non-uniform distribution of aging-induced decreases in GABA levels across the brain as well as hemispherical differences ( Cuypers et al, 2020 ; Maes et al, 2018 ). Furthermore, as current research in young adults rather suggests a task-dependent association between GABA levels and motor performance, additional insights could emerge from the inclusion of multiple task paradigms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

GABA levels are differentially associated with bimanual motor performance in older as compared to young adults

et al. 2021

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Although gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) is of particular importance for efficient motor functioning, very little is known about the relationship between regional GABA levels and motor performance. Some studies suggest this relation to be subject to age-related differences even though literature is scarce. To clarify this matter, we employed a comprehensive approach and investigated GABA levels within young and older adults across multiple motor tasks as well as multiple brain regions. Specifically, 30 young and 30 older adults completed a task battery of three different bimanual tasks. Furthermore, GABA levels were obtained within bilateral primary sensorimotor cortex (SM1), bilateral dorsal premotor cortex, the supplementary motor area and bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) using magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Results indicated that older adults, as compared to their younger counterparts, performed worse on all bimanual tasks and exhibited lower GABA levels in bilateral SM1 only. Moreover, GABA levels across the motor network and DLPFC were differentially associated with performance in young as opposed to older adults on a manual dexterity and bimanual coordination task but not a finger tapping task. Specifically, whereas higher GABA levels related to better manual dexterity within older adults, higher GABA levels predicted poorer bimanual coordination performance in young adults. By determining a task-specific and age-dependent association between GABA levels across the cortical motor network and performance on distinct bimanual tasks, the current study advances insights in the role of GABA for motor performance in the context of aging.

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Task-related measures of short-interval intracortical inhibition and GABA levels in healthy young and older adults: A multimodal TMS-MRS study

Cited by 37 publications

References 65 publications

The interaction between endogenous GABA, functional connectivity and behavioral flexibility is critically altered with advanced age

The interaction between endogenous GABA, functional connectivity and behavioral flexibility is critically altered with advanced age

Baseline sensorimotor GABA levels shape neuroplastic processes induced by motor learning in older adults

GABA levels are differentially associated with bimanual motor performance in older as compared to young adults

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