Journal
NEUROSCIENTIST
Volume 18, Issue 6, Pages 613-630Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
DOI: 10.1177/1073858411422114
Keywords
GABAA receptor; adolescence; interneuron; prefrontal cortex; rodent; non-human primate
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Funding
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) [KI 835/2]
- Naturwissenschaftlich-Medizinisches Forschungszentrum of the University Mainz (NMFZ)
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The neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), acting via inotropic GABA(A) and metabotropic GABA(B) receptors, plays an essential role in a variety of distinct neuronal processes, including regulation of neuronal excitability, determination of temporal aspects of spike trains, control of the size and propagation of neuronal assemblies, generation of oscillatory activity, and neuronal plasticity. Although the developmental switch between excitatory and inhibitory GABA(A) receptor-mediated responses is widely appreciated, the fact that the postnatal maturation of the GABAergic system lasts until late adolescence is not so persuasively promoted. This review summarizes recent knowledge of the maturation of various aspects of the GABAergic systems, like functional expression of GABA synthesizing/degrading enzymes and transporters, density of GABAergic synapses, GABAergic projection patterns, GABA receptor subunit composition, and properties of GABAergic interneurons, with an emphasis on the late developmental alterations. In addition, some aspects of the development of mental capabilities during adolescence and their relation the delayed maturation of the GABAergic system are presented.
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