Elevated Anterior Cingulate Cortex GABA Levels in Children with ADHD: Comparison of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Familial Origins

This neuroimaging study used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure GABA and glutamate levels in the anterior middle cingulate cortex of children with ADHD caused by prenatal alcohol exposure (ADHD+PAE) versus familial ADHD (ADHD-PAE). Both ADHD groups showed elevated GABA compared to typically developing controls, with different developmental trajectories, suggesting distinct neurochemical profiles between ADHD subtypes.