- Author
-
N. Levar
- Title
- Inhibiting emotions
- Subtitle
- The role of GABA in emotion processing and neural function
- Supervisors
-
G.A. van Wingen
D.A.J.P. Denys - Award date
- 17 December 2020
- Number of pages
- 132
- ISBN
- 9783000672231
- Document type
- PhD thesis
- Faculty
- Faculty of Medicine (AMC-UvA)
- Abstract
-
In the past decades, neuroscience has helped to identify a comprehensive network of brain regions that have been indicated in the processing of emotions and different cognitive processes. While recent neuroimaging studies have zoomed in on the link between individual differences in brain function and inter-individual variability in emotion processing and cognition, the role of the underlying neurobiological substrates remains largely unclear. Investigating individual differences in neurotransmitter levels in the healthy human brain serves as a first step towards a better understanding of their role in healthy brain function and might provide first insights into potential associations with cognitive dysfunction and various psychopathologies. This thesis therefore aims at examining the role of the main inhibitory neurotransmitter ƴ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in brain and neural function, challenging the proposed negative and condition non-specific role of GABA in neural function as suggested by prior research. To gain further insights into these mechanisms, we have conducted three multi-modal neuroimaging experiments, combining (functional) MRI, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and psychophysiological measures, in order to examine the role of dorsal anterior cingulate (dACC) GABA levels in healthy participants during fear recovery, emotion processing, and at rest. Across studies, results demonstrate that GABA plays a differential role in neural function, showing partly opposing associations with blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal across different brain regions, paradigms, and task conditions. Each chapter will discuss the aims, designs, and study findings in detail and discuss their potential implications for cognitive (dys)function and psychopathologies in the context of prior research.
- Persistent Identifier
- https://hdl.handle.net/11245.1/5b03acc2-50f6-4917-a265-d6d7852b99c9
- Downloads
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