Interferon-γ augments GABA release in the developing neocortex nitric oxide synthase/soluble guanylate cyclase and constrains network activity.

Interferon-γ (IFN-γ), a cytokine with neuromodulatory properties, has been shown to enhance inhibitory transmission. Because early inhibitory neurotransmission sculpts functional neuronal circuits, its developmental alteration may have grave consequences. Here, we investigated the acute effects of IFN-γ on γ-amino-butyric acid (GABA)ergic currents in layer 5 pyramidal neurons of the somatosensory cortex of rats at the end of the first postnatal week, a period of GABA-dependent cortical maturation.