Interrelation of resting state functional connectivity, striatal GABA levels, and cognitive control processes

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Cognitive control relies on fronto-striatal networks for response selection.
• Striatal gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) and basal ganglia network (BGN) connectivity are implicated but their interrelation is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between striatal GABA levels, BGN resting-state parameters, and cognitive control performance.
• To elucidate the mechanisms underlying response selection accuracy in conflict monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to measure striatal GABA levels.
• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess BGN activity and BGN-somatomotor network (SMN) connectivity.
• Simon task to evaluate conflict monitoring and response selection accuracy.

Main Results:

• Striatal GABA+ levels and BGN activity significantly affected response control, especially with altered stimulus-response mappings.
• Two mechanisms support response selection: BGN activity modulated by GABA, and cortico-striatal connectivity independent of GABA.
• Combined factors explained significant variance in task accuracy.

Conclusions:

• Striatal GABA+ and resting-state BGN parameters are crucial modulators of response control.
• Understanding these neurobiochemical and network interactions provides insight into cognitive control mechanisms.