Exploring Region-Specific Changes in Brain Glutamate and Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Across the Migraine Cycle in Children and Adolescents

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dc.contributor.advisorHarris, Ashley
dc.contributor.advisorOrr, Serena
dc.contributor.authorCho, Lydia Youngju
dc.contributor.committeememberBray, Signe
dc.contributor.committeememberJacobs-Levan, Julia
dc.date2023-11
dc.date.accessioned2023-06-28T17:42:40Z
dc.date.available2023-06-28T17:42:40Z
dc.date.issued2023-06
dc.description.abstractMigraine is a neurological disorder with multiple phases (i.e., migraine cycle). There is evidence that migraine is associated with excitation-inhibition imbalances and dysregulation of glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the primary excitatory and inhibitory neurochemicals, respectively. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a non-invasive imaging method to quantify brain levels of glutamate and GABA. It has been proposed progressing through the migraine cycle is also related to changes in excitation and inhibition. Few studies have measured glutamate and GABA in adults with migraine, and migraine studies in the pediatric population specifically focusing on glutamate and GABA are very scarce. In this study, children and adolescents with migraine were recruited to have four MRS scans over two weeks to quantify levels of glutamate and GABA in the sensorimotor cortex, thalamus, and occipital cortex. Two approaches were used to determine glutamate and GABA changes across the migraine cycle: (1) binning by migraine cycle phases and (2) time as a continuous metric leading up to or following headache. Analysis of migraine cycle phases showed occipital cortex glutamate was higher in the headache phase and thalamic glutamate was higher in the postdrome phase, both compared to the interictal phase. When using a continuous time metric, glutamate significantly decreased following the onset of the headache phase in the occipital cortex and thalamus, and sensorimotor GABA significantly increased leading up to the headache. I propose that these changes reflect increased excitation in the occipital cortex and thalamus and increased inhibition in the sensorimotor cortex during the migraine attack which may be evidence of thalamocortical dysrhythmia underlying migraine pathophysiology. This study provides insight into the underlying biology of migraine in children and adolescents, and if replicated, may help inform development of future treatments and interventions.
dc.identifier.citationCho, L. Y. (2023). Exploring region-specific changes in brain Glutamate and Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) across the migraine cycle in children and adolescents (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1880/116675
dc.identifier.urihttps://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/41518
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgary
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectMigraine
dc.subjectPediatrics
dc.subjectExcitation
dc.subjectInhibition
dc.subjectThalamocortical Dysrhythmia
dc.subjectMagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS)
dc.subjectEdited-MRS
dc.subjectMacromolecule-Suppressed GABA-Edited MRS
dc.subjectGlutamate
dc.subjectGamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)
dc.subject.classificationNeuroscience
dc.subject.classificationRadiology
dc.titleExploring Region-Specific Changes in Brain Glutamate and Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Across the Migraine Cycle in Children and Adolescents
dc.typemaster thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineMedicine – Medical Sciences
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (MSc)
ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudentI do not require a thesis withhold – my thesis will have open access and can be viewed and downloaded publicly as soon as possible.
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