Catamenial-Like Seizure Exacerbation in Mice with Targeted Ablation of Extrasynaptic δGABA-A Receptors in the Brain

The study investigated the role of extrasynaptic δGABA-A receptors in catamenial epilepsy using δGABA-A receptor knockout (δKO) mice. Results showed that δKO mice exhibited increased seizure susceptibility and intensity following neurosteroid withdrawal (NSW) compared to wild-type (WT) mice. Additionally, δKO mice displayed reduced benzodiazepine sensitivity but no change in neurosteroid sensitivity. These findings suggested that extrasynaptic δGABA-A receptors play a protective role in catamenial-like seizures, and their loss may exacerbate seizure activity. The study included 12 δKO and 8 WT mice for kindling experiments, and 9 δKO and 8 WT mice for NSW experiments.