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Event: 428

Key Event Title

A descriptive phrase which defines a discrete biological change that can be measured. More help

Delay, Developmental GABA shift

Short name
The KE short name should be a reasonable abbreviation of the KE title and is used in labelling this object throughout the AOP-Wiki. More help
Delay, Developmental GABA shift
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Biological Context

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Level of Biological Organization
Cellular

Cell term

The location/biological environment in which the event takes place.The biological context describes the location/biological environment in which the event takes place.  For molecular/cellular events this would include the cellular context (if known), organ context, and species/life stage/sex for which the event is relevant. For tissue/organ events cellular context is not applicable.  For individual/population events, the organ context is not applicable.  Further information on Event Components and Biological Context may be viewed on the attached pdf. More help

Organ term

The location/biological environment in which the event takes place.The biological context describes the location/biological environment in which the event takes place.  For molecular/cellular events this would include the cellular context (if known), organ context, and species/life stage/sex for which the event is relevant. For tissue/organ events cellular context is not applicable.  For individual/population events, the organ context is not applicable.  Further information on Event Components and Biological Context may be viewed on the attached pdf. More help

Key Event Components

The KE, as defined by a set structured ontology terms consisting of a biological process, object, and action with each term originating from one of 14 biological ontologies (Ives, et al., 2017; https://aopwiki.org/info_pages/2/info_linked_pages/7#List). Biological process describes dynamics of the underlying biological system (e.g., receptor signalling).Biological process describes dynamics of the underlying biological system (e.g., receptor signaling).  The biological object is the subject of the perturbation (e.g., a specific biological receptor that is activated or inhibited). Action represents the direction of perturbation of this system (generally increased or decreased; e.g., ‘decreased’ in the case of a receptor that is inhibited to indicate a decrease in the signaling by that receptor).  Note that when editing Event Components, clicking an existing Event Component from the Suggestions menu will autopopulate these fields, along with their source ID and description.  To clear any fields before submitting the event component, use the 'Clear process,' 'Clear object,' or 'Clear action' buttons.  If a desired term does not exist, a new term request may be made via Term Requests.  Event components may not be edited; to edit an event component, remove the existing event component and create a new one using the terms that you wish to add.  Further information on Event Components and Biological Context may be viewed on the attached pdf. More help

Key Event Overview

AOPs Including This Key Event

All of the AOPs that are linked to this KE will automatically be listed in this subsection. This table can be particularly useful for derivation of AOP networks including the KE.Clicking on the name of the AOP will bring you to the individual page for that AOP. More help

Taxonomic Applicability

Latin or common names of a species or broader taxonomic grouping (e.g., class, order, family) that help to define the biological applicability domain of the KE.In many cases, individual species identified in these structured fields will be those for which the strongest evidence used in constructing the AOP was available in relation to this KE. More help
Term Scientific Term Evidence Link
rat Rattus norvegicus High NCBI

Life Stages

An indication of the the relevant life stage(s) for this KE. More help

Sex Applicability

An indication of the the relevant sex for this KE. More help

Key Event Description

A description of the biological state being observed or measured, the biological compartment in which it is measured, and its general role in the biology should be provided. More help

Biological state: Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an amino acid, which prevails in the adult nervous system and its conformation depends mainly on its environment. This conformational flexibility of GABA is important for its biological function that changes in the course of the brain development (Ben-Ari et al., 2007). Most of its effects are mediated by the two classes of GABA receptors (GABAA and GABAB). GABAAR is the major inhibitory receptor in the mammalian brain and is a ligand-gated ion channels permeable to chloride and to a lesser extent to bicarbonate anions (Betz, 1990; Miller and Smart, 2010). Up to date 19 GABAAR subunits have been cloned in the mammalian Central Nervous System (CNS). GABABR is a metabotropic receptor, localized in both the pre- and post-synaptic neurons, which belongs to the G protein-coupled receptors, meaning that it opens or closes the ion channels as well but through the G proteins activation (Bettler et al., 2004). GABA is considered as the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain and as such it plays a crucial role in brain physiology, while dysfunction of GABAergic signalling can lead to many pathological conditions in developing and adult nervous systems (Ben-Ari et al., 2007; Ben-Ari et al., 2012). GABAergic signalling has the unique property of "ionic plasticity", which is dependent on short-term and long-term concentration changes of Cl- and HCO3- in the postsynaptic neurons. The intracellular ion concentrations are largely modified in the course of brain development corresponding to the operation and functional modulation of ion transporters, such as the K-Cl co-transporter 2 (KCC2) and the Na-K-Cl co-transporter 1 (NKCC1) (Blaesse et al., 2009; Blankenship and Feller, 2010). One of the milestones at the crucial stage of brain development is the switch of the GABAergic signalling from depolarizing early in life to a more conventional hyperpolarizing inhibition on maturation (Ben-Ari et al., 2007). This developmental switch is mainly driven by the expression change of the predominant potassium-chloride co-transporters (KCC2 and NKCC1) around this period that results in a shift from high to low intracellular Cl− concentration at the post-synaptic neurons (Lu et al., 1999).

Biological compartments: Studies performed in a wide range of developing neuronal structures have confirmed that this process is present in the neocortex, the cerebellum, the spinal cord, the olfactory bulb, sensory structures and several subcortical and peripheral structures (reviewed in Ben-Ari et al., 2007). The GABA switch might occur in a singular dynamic or not occur at all, depending on the neuronal subpopulation. Recent studies have shown that in some synapses formed by specific GABAergic subpopulations remain depolarizing also in adulthood (Woodruff et al., 2009). The same effect was observed in CA3 hippocampal interneurons, which were not undergo the functional switch and remain stunned throughout development (Banke and McBain , 2006). The role of the continuous depolarizing GABAergic action of specific neuronal types is to be elucidated.

General role in biology: GABAergic signalling is crucial for the normal brain function and the regulation of the neuronal activity (Markram et al., 2004). In the mammalian CNS, neuronal intracellular chloride concentration is a fundamental cellular parameter that regulates the inhibitory strength of GABAA and glycine receptors (GABAAR and GlyR respectively). The homeostasis of intraneuronal Cl- concentration, established by the dynamic functional regulation of Cl- channels, transporters, and exchangers, is the major determinant of GABA and glycine function, and it provides to GABAAR and GlyR a unique functional plasticity (Farrant and Kaila, 2007). Specifically, lowering Cl− concentration enhances inhibition of GABA neurotransmission, whereas raising Cl− facilitates spontaneous neuronal activity. The progressive reduction of the intracellular chloride levels during neuronal development and the subsequent shift of GABA signalling from depolarization to hyperpolarization have been suggested to equilibrate glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmission (Ben-Ari, 2002), a notion which is further supported by the fact that GABAergic signals mature and function well before the glutamatergic synapses are formed in the brain. In fact, GABA is the main excitatory transmitter during early development, as its depolarizing effects at the post-synaptic neurons during this period are well described (Ben-Ari, 2014). Furthermore, the excitatory potential of GABA has been greatly correlated with the emergence of spontaneous network activity, which is the first neuronal activity of the brain and is generated during the late embryonic and early postnatal stages (Voigt et al., 2001; Opitz et al., 2002;). This spontaneous network activity is characterized by synchronous bursts of action potentials and concomitant intracellular calcium transients in large group of cells and it has been proposed to have functional relevance during the formation of connections within the network (Wang and Kriegstein, 2010; Ben Ari et al., 2007; Blankenship and Feller, 2010). The emergence of this early network activity depends on depolarizing action of GABA (Ben-Ari, 2001) and later the developmental shift of GABAergic signaling has been postulated to induce their gradual disappearance (Allene et al., 2008). In addition, depolarizing GABA has a strong impact on synaptic plasticity and is strongly correlated with seizures, not only in the immature brain but also with epileptic conditions in adult brain (Baram and Hatalski, 1998; Ben-Ari et al., 2012).

How It Is Measured or Detected

A description of the type(s) of measurements that can be employed to evaluate the KE and the relative level of scientific confidence in those measurements.These can range from citation of specific validated test guidelines, citation of specific methods published in the peer reviewed literature, or outlines of a general protocol or approach (e.g., a protein may be measured by ELISA). Do not provide detailed protocols. More help

Calcium imaging experiments is the most common way to detect the depolarizing action of neurons, as this is correlated with a transient increase in intracellular calcium. The local application of GABA agonist, muscimol, during the calcium imaging has been used the last decades in order to investigate the developmental effects of GABA in the post-synaptic neurons (Owens et al., 1996; Gangulu et al., 2001; Baltz et al., 2010; Westerholz et al., 2013).

Domain of Applicability

A description of the scientific basis for the indicated domains of applicability and the WoE calls (if provided).  More help

There have been performed many studies that confirm that there is a wide range of animal species in which the developmental GABA switch is a common event during neuronal development. From invertebrates, such as worms, to turtles, chicken and a frog, suggesting that it is evolutionary conserved (Ben-Ari et al., 2007). However, the most well- studied structure remains the hippocampus of rats.

References

List of the literature that was cited for this KE description. More help

Allene C, Cattani A, Ackman JB, Bonifazi P, Aniksztejn L, Ben-Ari Y, and others. (2008). Sequential generation of two distinct synapse-driven network patterns in developing neocortex. J Neurosci 28:12851–63.

Baltz T, deLima AD, Voigt T. (2010). Contribution of GABAergic interneurons to the development of spontaneous activity patterns in cultured neocortical networks. Front. Cell Neurosci. 4:15.

Banke TG, McBain CJ. (2006). GABAergic input onto CA3 hippocampal interneurons remains shunting throughout development. J Neurosci 26:11720–11725.

Baram TZ, Hatalski CG. (1998). Neuropeptide-mediated excitability: a key triggering mechanism for seizure generation in the developing brain. Trends Neurosci 21: 471–476.

Ben-Ari. (2014). The GABA excitatory/inhibitory developmental sequence: a personal journey. Neuroscience 279:187–219.

Ben-Ari Y, Khalilov I, Kahle KT, Cherubini E (2012). The GABA Excitatory/Inhibitory Shift in Brain Maturation and Neurological Disorders. Neuroscientist 18:467–486.

Ben-Ari Y, Gaiarsa JL, Tyzio R, Khazipov R. (2007). GABA: a pioneer transmitter that excites immature neurons and generates primitive oscillations. Physiol Rev 87:1215–84.

Ben-Ari Y. (2002). Excitatory actions of GABA during development: the nature of the nurture. Nat Rev Neurosci 3: 728–739.

Ben-Ari Y. (2001). Developing networks play similar melody. Trends Neurosci 24: 354–360.

Bettler B, Kaupmann K, Mosbacher J, Gassmann M. (2004). Molecular structure and physiological functions of GABA(B) receptors. Physiol Rev 84: 835–867.

Betz H. (1990). Ligand-gated ion channels in the brain: the amino acid receptor superfamily. Neuron 5:383-392.

Blaesse P, Airaksinen MS, Rivera C, Kaila K (2009). Cation-chloride co-transporters and neuronal function. Neuron 61:820–838.

Blankenship, A. G., and Feller, M. B. (2010). Mechanisms underlying spon¬taneous patterned activity in develop¬ing neural circuits. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 11, 18–29.

Farrant M, Kaila K. (2007). The cellular, molecular and ionic basis of GABA(A) receptor signalling. Prog Brain Res. 160:59-87.

Ganguly K, Schinder AF, Wong ST, Poo M. (2001). GABA itself promotes the developmental switch of neuronal GABAergic responses from excitation to inhibition. Cell 105: 521–532.

Lu J, Karadsheh M, Delpire E. (1999). Developmental regulation of the neuronal-specific isoform of K-Cl cotransporter KCC2 in postnatal rat brains. J Neurobiol 39: 558–568.

Markram H, Toledo-Rodriguez M, Wang Y, Gupta A, Silberberg G, Wu C. (2004). Interneurons of the neocortical inhibitory system. Nat Rev Neurosci. 5:793-807.

Miller, P. and Smart, T.G. (2010) Trends Pharmacol. Sci. 31: 161-174.

Opitz T, De Lima AD, Voigt T. (2002). Spontaneous development of synchronous oscillatory activity during maturation of cortical networks in vitro. J Neurophysiol 88:2196–2206.

Owens DF, Boyce LH, Davis MBE, Kriegstein AR. (1996). Excitatory GABA responses in embryonic and neonatal cortical slices demonstrated by gramicidin perforated-patch recordings and calcium imaging. J. Neurosci. 16:6414–6423.

Voigt T, Opitz T, De Lima AD. (2001). Synchronous oscillatory activity in immature cortical network is driven by GABAergic preplate neurons. J Neurosci 21: 8895–8905.

Wang DD, Kriegstein AR. 2010. Blocking early GABA depolarization with bumetanide results in permanent alterations in cortical circuits and sensorimotor gating deficits. Cereb Cortex 21:574–587.

Westerholz S, de Lima AD, Voigt T. (2013). Thyroid hormone-dependent development of early cortical networks: temporal specificity and the contribution of trkB and mTOR pathways. Front Cell Neurosci 7:121.

Woodruff A, Xu Q, Anderson SA, Yuste R. (2009). Depolarizing effect of neocortical chandelier neurons. Front Neural Circuits. 3:15.