Prefrontal cognitive deficits in mice with altered cerebral cortical GABAergic interneurons.

Alterations of inhibitory GABAergic neurons are implicated in multiple psychiatric and neurological disorders, including schizophrenia, autism and epilepsy. In particular, interneuron deficits in prefrontal areas, along with presumed decreased inhibition, have been reported in several human patients. The majority of forebrain GABAergic interneurons arise from a single subcortical source before migrating to their final regional destination.

Astrocyte-mediated hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor supplementation restores GABAergic interneurons and corrects reversal learning deficits in mice.

Many psychiatric and neurological disorders present persistent neuroanatomical abnormalities in multiple brain regions that may reflect a common origin for a developmental disturbance. In mammals, many of the local GABAergic inhibitory interneurons arise from a single subcortical source. Perturbations in the ontogeny of the GABAergic interneurons may be reflected in the adult by interneuron deficits in both frontal cerebral cortical and striatal regions.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) modulates GABAergic inhibition and seizure susceptibility.

Disrupted ontogeny of forebrain inhibitory interneurons leads to neurological disorders, including epilepsy. Adult mice lacking the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (Plaur) have decreased numbers of neocortical GABAergic interneurons and spontaneous seizures, attributed to a reduction of hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF). We report that by increasing endogenous HGF/SF concentration in the postnatal Plaur null mouse brain maintains the interneuron populations in the adult, reverses the seizure behavior and stabilizes the spontaneous electroencephalogram activity.