More GABA, less distraction: a neurochemical predictor of motor decision speed

Abstract

People vary markedly in how quickly they can resolve competitive action decisions. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the authors find that the speed with which an individual resolves such competition can be predicted by the concentration of GABA in a region of frontal cortex. People vary markedly in the efficiency with which they can resolve competitive action decisions, even simple ones such as shifting gaze to one stimulus rather than another. We found that an individual's ability to rapidly resolve such competition is predicted by the concentration of GABA, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter, in a region of frontal cortex that is relevant for eye movements, but not in a control region (occipital cortex).