Experts hope that the research results will be used in clinical practice
Scientists from Cambridge University have found that the insufficient level of production of gamma-aminobutyric acid prevents to suppress obsessive thoughts.
The specialists found that the reduced activity of the hippocampus — the area of the brain responsible for emotions and memory work, — leads to an inability “to confront the” unpleasant images in the mind. However, until recently, remained a mystery what kind of material determines the degree of its activity.
Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy the researchers have restored a picture of the chemical processes in the brain of patients suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder. It turned out that they have in the hippocampus lowered the level of the major inhibitory neurotransmitter — gamma-aminobutyric acid.
“Before, we could say that one part of the brain affects the other. But now, it became clear that neurotransmitters also play an important role… Our work shows that patients can get rid of obsessive thoughts, if we increase the GABA content in the hippocampus,” explained Professor of Cambridge Michael Anderson. It is noted that synthetic analogues of GABA obtained in the middle of the twentieth century.
Scientists hope that the research results will be used in clinical practice and will help in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and post-traumatic disorders, schizophrenia, depression and other mental illnesses associated with the “nodules” obsessions.
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