Predicting learning and achievement using GABA and glutamate concentrations in human development

Abstract

Previous research has highlighted the role of glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in learning and plasticity. What is currently unknown is how this knowledge translates to real-life complex cognitive abilities that emerge slowly and how the link between these neurotransmitters and human learning and plasticity is shaped by development. While some have suggested a generic role of glutamate and GABA in learning and plasticity, others have hypothesized that their involvement shapes sensitive periods during development. Here we used a cross-sectional longitudinal design with 255 individuals (spanning primary school to university) to show that glutamate and GABA in the intraparietal sulcus explain unique variance both in current and future mathematical achievement (approximately 1.5 years). Furthermore, our findings reveal a dynamic and dissociable role of GABA and glutamate in predicting learning, which is reversed during development, and therefore provide novel implications for models of learning and plasticity during childhood and adulthood.

Predicting Math Ability using Working Memory, Number Sense, and Neurophysiology in Children and Adults

“…The traditional analyzing method could have partially captured aperiodic activity, which is thought to relate to the E/I in the brain which subsequently underlies learning (Zacharopoulos et al, 2021). The magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) study from Zacharopoulos et al (2021) found that decreased E/I leads to enhanced mathematical skill in the developing brain, and that the opposite happens in the adult brain. Note that our study found exactly the opposite as Zacharopoulos and colleagues (2021) for children, which might be due to MRS and EEG differences that capture different aspect of E/I.…”

“…The magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) study from Zacharopoulos et al (2021) found that decreased E/I leads to enhanced mathematical skill in the developing brain, and that the opposite happens in the adult brain. Note that our study found exactly the opposite as Zacharopoulos and colleagues (2021) for children, which might be due to MRS and EEG differences that capture different aspect of E/I. A recent finding from our lab supports this notion by showing that mathematical learning can influence the aperiodic exponent (i.e., E/I) and that an excitatory form of neurostimulation can influence this directly (Van Bueren et al, 2022).…”

“…This explanation could explain the found correlation between frontal rs-beta activity and mathematical skills in Van Bueren et al (2021). The traditional analyzing method could have partially captured aperiodic activity, which is thought to relate to the E/I in the brain which subsequently underlies learning (Zacharopoulos et al, 2021). The magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) study from Zacharopoulos et al (2021) found that decreased E/I leads to enhanced mathematical skill in the developing brain, and that the opposite happens in the adult brain.…”

“…It is made available under a preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in The copyright holder for this this version posted February 11, 2022. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.02.10.479865 doi: bioRxiv preprint significantly smaller in adults than in children as shown in Table 1. Since the working mechanisms of aperiodic activity have been related to E/I levels of the brain, which in turn relates to mathematical achievement (Zacharopoulos et al, 2021), we exploratory looked at the interaction between aperiodic activity and age on mathematical ability. Interestingly, a simple moderation (Hayes's Model 1) with aperiodic activity (average score of the exponent and offset) as independent variable showed a significant interaction with age in predicting mathematical ability (β = .53, SE = .19, p = .006).…”

Neurotransmitters for Math Brain: A New Finding

“…After evaluating the subjects twice and 1.5 years apart, the researchers discovered that adults with reduced GABA performed well on the first arithmetic exam and also performed well on the second test. 3,6 What does exactly findings mean? The longitudinal approach used by the scientists aided them in forecasting future mathematical aptitude.…”