Excitatory actions of gaba during development: the nature of the nurture |
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Authors: | Ben-Ari Yehezkel |
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Affiliation: | Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée (INMED), INSERM Unit 29, Parc Scientifique de Luminy, 13273 Marseille Cedex 09, France. ben-ari@inmed.univ-mrs.fr |
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Abstract: | In the immature brain, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is excitatory, and GABA-releasing synapses are formed before glutamatergic contacts in a wide range of species and structures. GABA becomes inhibitory by the delayed expression of a chloride exporter, leading to a negative shift in the reversal potential for choride ions. I propose that this mechanism provides a solution to the problem of how to excite developing neurons to promote growth and synapse formation while avoiding the potentially toxic effects of a mismatch between GABA-mediated inhibition and glutamatergic excitation. As key elements of this cascade are activity dependent, the formation of inhibition adds an element of nurture to the construction of cortical networks. |
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