Associations Between Well-Being Scores and Baseline mPFC GABA and Glx Levels: A Preliminary Report
Poster No:
595
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Norberto Eiji Nawa1, Yasuhiro Shimada2, Takanori Kochiyama3
Institutions:
1NICT, CiNet & Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, 2NICT, CiNet, Suita, Osaka, 3ATR Promotion, Brain Activity Imaging Center, Seika-cho, Kyoto
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Introduction:
Several studies have suggested that an altered balance of neurotransmitters in the brain, particularly gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate, may be associated with various psychiatric disorders. However, much less is known about how these metabolites relate to other dimensions of mental health, such as well-being. Life satisfaction and purpose in life, among other dimensions, are thought to be key components of one's well-being. Here, we used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to examine the relationship between GABA and glutamine/glutamate (Glx) levels in a voxel encompassing the ventral aspect of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and individual scores on well-being scales, including the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS; Diener et al., 1985) and the Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS; Ryff, 1989).
Methods:
All experimental procedures were approved by the local research ethics committee. Participants gave written informed consent prior to the experiment. MR data were collected from 52 non-clinical participants (21 female (F) and 31 male (M), mean age of 22.9 years (SD=2.7), range=19.0–33.8) using a Siemens Magnetom Prisma Fit 3 Tesla scanner (Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany) with a 64-channel head/neck coil. 1H-MRS data was acquired from a voxel of 30 (left-right) x 20 (anterior-posterior) x 30 (cranio-caudal) mm3 encompassing the ventral aspect of the mPFC (Fig. 1). MEGA-PRESS sequence (TR/TE=2000/68 ms, 160 ON/OFF pairs, 320 averages) was used to acquire 1024 points within a spectral width of 2000 Hz. Whole-brain resting-state data based on spontaneous blood oxygen level dependent fluctuations were also acquired. Structural T1-weighted images (MPRAGE, 1mm isotropic) were acquired for co-registration and segmentation. Gannet (v. 3.3.2) was used for preprocessing and spectral fitting to estimate individual GABA and Glx levels. Total creatine (tCr) was used as internal reference. After scanning, participants completed a battery of questionnaires that included items from well-being, mental health symptom and other related psychological scales. Participants without menstrual cycle information or outside the follicular/luteal phases were excluded (4 F).
·Fig. 1: The location of the MRS voxel.
Results:
MRS data from 3 participants (2 F, 1 M) could not be acquired due to poor spectral quality observed during shimming. An additional 6 participants (3 F, 3 M) were excluded for low signal-to-noise ratios, anomalous fitting errors, or unsatisfactory full-width at half-maximum values. We examined the pairwise relationships (Pearson correlation) between GABA and Glx levels and individual scores on the well-being scales. Results revealed a negative correlation between SWLS scores and GABA levels (r=-.37, p=.02, R2=.14, Fig. 2a). Additionally, Glx levels were negatively correlated with PWBS Purpose in Life (r=-.38, p=.017, R2=.14, Fig. 2b). Controlling for age did not substantially alter the results. No significant correlations were observed with the other PWBS dimensions (Autonomy, Environmental Mastery, Personal Growth, Positive Relations with Others, Self-Acceptance) or with scores on the mental health symptoms and other psychological scales.
·Fig. 2: Correlation between SWLS and mPFC-GABA (2a), and PWBS Purpose in Life and mPFC-Glx (2b).
Conclusions:
These preliminary findings suggest a potential relationship between mPFC GABA and Glx levels and self-reported well-being scores. Notably, associations were observed with scales that are typically associated with two complementary notions of well-being, i.e., subjective well-being (SWLS) and psychological well-being (PWBS). However, we were unable to replicate previous findings related to mental health symptoms, such as depression and trait anxiety. We plan to expand the dataset to confirm the current associations with well-being, explore possible explanations for these associations, and further investigate the lack of significant results concerning the clinical scores.
Emotion, Motivation and Social Neuroscience:
Emotion and Motivation Other 1
Higher Cognitive Functions:
Higher Cognitive Functions Other 2
Modeling and Analysis Methods:
Task-Independent and Resting-State Analysis
Other Methods
Keywords:
Emotions
GABA
Glutamate
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS)
MR SPECTROSCOPY
Neurotransmitter
NORMAL HUMAN
Other - well-being
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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Provide references using APA citation style.
Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is Everything, or Is It? Explorations on the Meaning of Psychological Well-Being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(6), 1069-1081.