Changes in Expression and Function of Extrasynaptic GABA A Receptors in the Rat Hippocampus During Pregnancy and After Delivery

February 2009 in “ Journal of Neuroscience ”

Enrico Sanna, Maria Cristina Mostallino, Luca Murru, Mario Carta, Giuseppe Talani, Stefano Zucca, Maria Luisa Mura, Elisabetta Maciocco, Giovanni Biggio

finasteride 5α-reductase inhibitor neuroactive steroids GABAA receptor δ subunit γ2 subunit α4 subunit dentate gyrus granule cells DGGCs Propecia

TLDR Pregnancy increases certain GABAA receptors in rat brains, influenced by steroid levels.

The study investigated changes in extrasynaptic GABAA receptor expression and function in the rat hippocampus during pregnancy and after delivery. It found that during late pregnancy (P19), there was a significant increase in tonic GABAergic currents in dentate gyrus granule cells (DGGCs), linked to an increase in the δ subunit and a decrease in the γ2 subunit of the GABAA receptor. These changes were not observed in CA1 pyramidal cells. The α4 subunit expression increased 2 days after delivery. Treatment with finasteride, a 5α-reductase inhibitor, from P12 to P18 prevented these changes, suggesting that fluctuations in neuroactive steroid levels during pregnancy influenced the number of extrasynaptic GABAA receptors in DGGCs.

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Changes in Expression and Function of Extrasynaptic GABA A Receptors in the Rat Hippocampus During Pregnancy and After Delivery

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