GABA and Glutamate response to social processing; a functional MRS study

We performed functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy (fMRS) to measure the dynamic response of GABA and Glutamate in the superior temporal sulcus (STS) and visual cortex (V1) while viewing social stimuli. MEGA-PRESS fMRS spectra were analyzed in both block and event-related design. Sliding window analyses were used to investigate GABA and Glutamate dynamics at higher temporal resolution. A small decrease in GABA level was observed during stimulus presentation in V1, but no change was observed in STS. We highlight the feasibility of using fMRS to assess changes in metabolite response during social processing in health and disease.