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
    TLDR Pregnancy increases certain GABA<sub>A</sub> receptors in rat brains, influenced by steroid levels.
    The study investigated changes in extrasynaptic GABA<sub>A</sub> 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 GABA<sub>A</sub> 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 GABA<sub>A</sub> receptors in DGGCs.
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