Elevated levels of GABA+ in migraine detected using 1H-MRS

M E R Aguila; Jim Lagopoulos; A M Leaver; T Rebbeck; M Hübscher; P C Brennan; K M Refshauge

doi:10.1002/nbm.3321

Back

Elevated levels of GABA+ in migraine detected using 1H-MRS

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Elevated levels of GABA+ in migraine detected using 1H-MRS

M E R Aguila, Jim Lagopoulos, A M Leaver, T Rebbeck, M Hübscher, P C Brennan and K M Refshauge

NMR in Biomedicine, Vol.28(7), pp.890-897

2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/nbm.3321

Files and links (1)

url

https://doi.org/10.1002/nbm.3321View

Published Version

Abstract

GABA

Mrs.

migraine disorders

ROC curve

sensitivity

specificity

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) has been implicated in several pain conditions, yet no study has systematically evaluated GABA levels in migraine using 1H-MRS. The accurate detection, separation and quantification of GABA in individuals with migraine could elucidate the role of this neurotransmitter in migraine pathophysiology. Such information may eventually be useful in the diagnosis and development of more effective treatments for migraine. The aims of this study were therefore to compare the concentration of GABA+ in individuals with migraine with that in asymptomatic individuals, and to determine the diagnostic potential of GABA+ in the classification of those with or without migraine. In this case-control study, GABA+ levels in the brain were determined in 19 participants with migraine and 19 matched controls by 1H-MRS using Mescher-Garwood point-resolved spectroscopy (MEGA-PRESS) sequence. The diagnostic accuracy of GABA+ for the detection of migraine and the optimal cut-off value were determined by receiver operating characteristic analysis. GABA+ levels were significantly higher (p = 0.002) in those with migraine [median, 1.41 institutional units (IU); interquartile range, 1.31-1.50 IU] than in controls (median, 1.18 IU; interquartile range, 1.12-1.35 IU). The GABA+ concentration appears to have good accuracy for the classification of individuals with or without migraine [area under the curve (95% confidence interval), 0.837 (0.71-0.96); p < 0.001]. The optimal GABA+ cut-off value for migraine was 1.30 IU, with a sensitivity of 84.2%, specificity of 68.4% and positive likelihood ratio of +2.67. The outcomes of this study suggest altered GABA metabolism in migraine. These results add to the scarce evidence on the putative role of GABA in migraine and provide a basis to further explore the causal relationship between GABA+ and the pathophysiology of migraine. This study also demonstrates that GABA+ concentration has good diagnostic accuracy for migraine. These findings offer new research and practice directions for migraine diagnosis. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Details

Title: Elevated levels of GABA+ in migraine detected using 1H-MRS
Authors: M E R Aguila (Author) - University of Sydney
Jim Lagopoulos (Author) - University of Sydney
A M Leaver (Author) - University of Sydney
T Rebbeck (Author) - University of Sydney
M Hübscher (Author) - University of Sydney
P C Brennan (Author) - University of Sydney
K M Refshauge (Author) - University of Sydney
Publication details: NMR in Biomedicine, Vol.28(7), pp.890-897
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Date published: 2015
DOI: 10.1002/nbm.3321
ISSN: 0952-3480
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Thompson Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450189502621
Output Type: Journal article

Metrics

733 Record Views

42 Times Cited - Web of Science

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Biophysics; Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging; Spectroscopy

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

Source: InCites