Neurometabolic Stability and Heritability in the Adolescent Brain: A Preliminary Longitudinal Twin MRS Study

Early adolescence is a critical period of brain development. This study examined regional neurometabolite ratios, their longitudinal stability, and their heritability during early adolescence. Forty-four adolescent twins (mean age: 13.25 years; SD = 1.01 years; 18 females; 25 monozygotic twins) underwent magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of the prefrontal cortex (GABA-edited MEGA-PRESS) and thalamus (short-echo-time PRESS) at baseline and 6 months later (n = 32; mean age: 13.72 years; SD = 0.97; 14 females; 19 monozygotic twins). We observed stable neurometabolite ratios in both regions across time. Moderate genetic contributions were estimated for Glx (glutamate and glutamine)/(Cr + PCr) in the prefrontal cortex as well as for glutamate/(Cr + PCr) and total choline-containing compounds (PCho + GPC)/(Cr + PCr) in the thalamus. These preliminary findings highlight region-specific and genetically influenced neurometabolic markers in early adolescence.