Rapid Decrease of GAD 67 Content Before the Convulsion Induced by Hyperbaric Oxygen Exposure

Exposure to hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) can lead to seizures, the etiology of which is not completely understood. Glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) plays a very important role in maintaining excitatory-inhibitory balance of the central nervous system (CNS). In the present study we investigated the effects of HBO on the activity and content of GAD in vivo and in primarily cultured neurons to probe in detail its effect on the formation of convulsion induced by HBO exposure. The results obtained from in vivo and in vitro experiments were identical. In the latent period before the onset of seizure, the GAD activity followed a rise-and-fall pattern with the prolongation of HBO exposure. At the time of the onset of seizure, GAD activity descended to the normal level. Besides, in the latent period, GAD content also reduced. Such reduction came from a GAD subtype, GAD67, while the content of another GAD subtype, GAD65, remained almost unchanged. Our investigations indicated that GAD is indeed an enzyme highly sensitive to the effect of HBO exposure. The rapid reduction in GAD67 content may be very closely related to seizures induced by HBO exposure. Quan Li and Meili Guo are contributed equally to the study.