Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33780723›Full record

ArticleClinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology2021

Relationship between GABA levels and task-dependent cortical excitability in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Ashley D Harris, Donald L Gilbert, Paul S Horn, Deana Crocetti, Kim M Cecil, Richard A E Edden, David A Huddleston, Stewart H Mostofsky, Nicolaas A J Puts

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
20citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.4field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 40 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
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  4. Neurodevelopmental considerations for transcranial magnetic stimulation trials in youth.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Review
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  6. Reliability of short interval cortical inhibition in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Ashley D HarrisRadiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Child and Adolescent Imaging Research Program, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. Electronic address: ashley.harris2@ucalgary.ca.
Donald L GilbertDivision of Pediatric Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States.
Paul S HornDivision of Pediatric Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States.
Deana CrocettiCenter for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States.
Kim M CecilDepartment of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati College of Medicine, OH, United States.
Richard A E EddenRussell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States.
David A HuddlestonDivision of Pediatric Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States.
Stewart H MostofskyCenter for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; Department of Behavioral Science and Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.
Nicolaas A J PutsRussell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States; Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center · USKennedy Krieger Institute · USUniversity of Calgary · CA

Funding

TR&D 4: Algorithms for functional and anatomical brain analysisP41EB015909 · NIBIB · HUGO W. MOSER RES INST KENNEDY KRIEGER · PI VAN ZIJL, PETER CM · 2012 to 2020
$13.1M
Neurology of Deficient Response Control in ADHDR01MH085328 · NIMH · HUGO W. MOSER RES INST KENNEDY KRIEGER · PI MOSTOFSKY, STEWART H · 2009 to 2019
$7.3M
Anomalous Motor Physiology In ADHDR01MH078160 · NIMH · HUGO W. MOSER RES INST KENNEDY KRIEGER · PI MOSTOFSKY, STEWART H · 2006 to 2024
$5.8M
Universal GABA-edited MRS at 3TR01EB016089 · NIBIB · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI Richard Anthony Edward Edden · 2013 to 2026
$5.4M
2/2-Anomalous Motor Physiology in ADHDR01MH095014 · NIMH · CINCINNATI CHILDRENS HOSP MED CTR · PI GILBERT, DONALD L · 2012 to 2024
$3.3M
A Multimodal Investigation of Inhibitory Dysfunction in Autism Spectrum DisorderR00MH107719 · NIMH · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI PUTS, NICOLAAS · 2018 to 2019
$492k
NIBIB NIH HHS P41 EB015909NIBIB NIH HHS R01 EB016089NIMH NIH HHS R00 MH107719NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH078160NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH085328NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH095014
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveCompared to typically developing (TD) peers, children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) manifest reduced short interval cortical inhibition (SICI) in the dominant motor cortex measured with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). This multimodal study investigates the inhibitory neurophysiology and neurochemistry by evaluating the relationship between SICI and γ-amino butyric acid (GABA+) levels, measured with magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).

methodsAcross two sites, 37 children with ADHD and 45 TD children, ages 8-12 years, participated. Single and paired pulse TMS to left motor cortex quantified SICI during REST and at times of action selection (GO) and inhibition (STOP) during a modified Slater-Hammel stop signal reaction task. MRS quantified GABA+ levels in the left sensorimotor cortex. Relationships between SICI and GABA+, as well as stopping efficiency and clinical symptoms, were analyzed with correlations and repeated-measure, mixed-models.

resultsIn both groups, higher GABA+ levels correlated with less SICI. In TD children only, higher GABA+ levels correlated with larger TMS motor evoked potentials (MEPs) at REST. In GO and STOP trials, higher GABA+ was associated with smaller MEP amplitudes, for both groups. Overall, GABA+ levels did not differ between groups or correlate with ADHD clinical symptoms.

conclusionsIn children with higher motor cortex GABA+, motor cortex is less responsive to inhibitory TMS (SICI). Comparing the relationships between MRS-GABA+ levels and responses to TMS at REST vs. GO/STOP trials suggests differences in inhibitory neurophysiology and neurotransmitters in children with ADHD. These differences are more prominent at rest than during response inhibition task engagement. SIGNIFICANCE: Evaluating relationships between GABA+ and SICI may provide a biomarker useful for understanding behavioral diagnoses.

Indexed as

Cortical ExcitabilityAttention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityBrainChildEvoked Potentials, MotorFemalegamma-Aminobutyric AcidHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleNeural InhibitionTranscranial Magnetic Stimulationgamma-Aminobutyric AcidAttention deficit hyperactivity disorderGABA-edited MRSInhibitionShort interval cortical inhibitionTranscranial magnetic stimulation

Identifiers

PMID33780723
PMCPMC8106665
OpenAlexW3138384121

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.