ArticleThe international journal of neuropsychopharmacology2023
Decreased GABA+ Levels in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex of Perimenopausal Women: A 3T 1H-MRS Study.
Article in The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring the Physiological Effects and Mechanisms of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid in Food Systems.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Nutritional Interventions for Perimenopausal Anxiety and Depression Targeting Tryptophan and GABA Pathways: A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2026Review
- The Impact of Estradiol Dynamics During the Menopause Transition on Depression Risk: A Narrative Review of Estradiol's Neurobiological Mechanisms.Biological psychiatry · 2026Review
- Understanding Depression in Women Across the Lifespan: Hormonal Insights From Brain Imaging.Brain and behavior · 2026Review
- Observational
- Effects of a healthy diet based on seed-rich vegetables on the gut microbiota and intrinsic brain activity in perimenopausal women: A pilot study on cognitive improvement.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Precision prediction of hyperhomocysteinemia development in perimenopausal women using LASSO regression.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2025Article
- A comparative magnetic resonance spectroscopy study of GABA+ and glutamate referenced to creatine and phosphocreatine in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of perimenopausal women and women of reproductive age.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Decreased GABA+ ratios referenced to creatine and phosphocreatine in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of females of reproductive age with major depression.Journal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPNArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivePerimenopause is associated with an increased risk of developing a major depressive (MD) episode. A significant number of women develop their first MD episode during perimenopause, suggesting a unique pathophysiology of perimenopausal (PM) depression. Previous research has shown that depression is associated with decreased gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) of MD patients. The objective of this study was to compare MPFC GABA+ levels in healthy reproductive-aged (RD) and PM women.
methodsA total of 18 healthy PM and 20 RD women were included in the study. MPFC GABA+ levels, which include homocarnosine and macromolecules, were measured via magnetic resonance spectroscopy using a 3 Tesla magnet. MPFC GABA+ levels were referenced to creatine + phosphocreatine (Cr+PCr). Absence of current or past psychiatric diagnosis was confirmed via a structured interview. RD participants were scanned during the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. PM women were scanned outside of ovulatory cycles.
resultsMean MPFC GABA+ concentrations (relative to Cr+PCr) were decreased in the PM group compared with the RD group (PM mean = 0.08 ± 0.02, RD mean = 0.09 ± 0.02, t = -2.03, df = 36, P = .05) even after correcting for in percentage in gray matter (GM). Because PM women were inherently older than RD women (aged 48.8 ± 3.55 and 31.5 ± 9.66 years, respectively), the age difference between the 2 groups was statistically significant (P < .001). When age was treated as an independent covariate and included in the model, the difference in GABA+ between PM and RD women was no longer significant (P = .092).
conclusionPerimenopause is associated with decreased MPFC GABA+/Cr+PCr levels, which may contribute to the increased risk of experiencing a MD episode during PM.
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