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Intraindividual changes in brain GABA, glutamate, and glutamine during monitored abstinence from alcohol in treatment‐naive individuals with alcohol use disorder

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H‐MRS) studies have demonstrated abnormal levels of a variety of neurometabolites in treatment‐seeking individuals with moderate‐severe alcohol use disorder (AUD) following acute withdrawal. In contrast, few studies have investigated neurochemical changes across early abstinence in less severe, treatment‐naïve AUD. The present study, which represents the primary report of a research grant from ABMRF/The Alcohol Research Fund, measured dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) GABA, glutamate, and glutamine levels in treatment‐naïve AUD (n = 23) via three 1H‐MRS scans spaced across a planned week of abstinence from alcohol. In addition to AUD participants, 12 light drinkers completed two scans, separated by 48 hours, to ensure that results in AUD were not produced by between‐scan differences other than abstinence from alcohol. 1H‐MRS spectra were acquired in dACC at each scan using 2D J‐resolved point‐resolved spectroscopy. Linear mixed modeling results demonstrated a significant increase in GABA, but not glutamate or glutamine (Ps = .237‐.626), levels between scans 1 and 2 (+8.88%, .041), with no difference between scans 2 and 3 (+1.00%, .836), in AUD but not LD (F = 1.24, .290) participants. Exploratory regression analyses tentatively revealed a number of significant prospective associations between changes in glutamine levels and heavy drinking, craving, and withdrawal symptoms. Most notably, the present study demonstrated return from abnormally low to normal GABA levels in treatment‐naïve AUD within 3 days of their last drink; the pattern of results was consistent with glutamate and glutamine disturbances being exclusive to relatively more severe AUD.