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Absalom NL, Lin SXN, Liao VWY, Chua HC, Møller RS, Chebib M, Ahring PK. GABA A receptors in epilepsy: Elucidating phenotypic divergence through functional analysis of genetic variants. J Neurochem 2023. [PMID: 37621067 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Normal brain function requires a tightly regulated balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmissions. γ-Aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA ) receptors represent the major class of inhibitory ion channels in the mammalian brain. Dysregulation of these receptors and/or their associated pathways is strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of epilepsy. To date, hundreds of different GABAA receptor subunit variants have been associated with epilepsy, making them a prominent cause of genetically linked epilepsy. While identifying these genetic variants is crucial for accurate diagnosis and effective genetic counselling, it does not necessarily lead to improved personalised treatment options. This is because the identification of a variant does not reveal how the function of GABAA receptors is affected. Genetic variants in GABAA receptor subunits can cause complex changes to receptor properties resulting in various degrees of gain-of-function, loss-of-function or a combination of both. Understanding how variants affect the function of GABAA receptors therefore represents an important first step in the ongoing development of precision therapies. Furthermore, it is important to ensure that functional data are produced using methodologies that allow genetic variants to be classified using clinical guidelines such as those developed by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. This article will review the current knowledge in the field and provide recommendations for future functional analysis of genetic GABAA receptor variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan L Absalom
- School of Science, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Brain and Mind Centre, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Susan X N Lin
- Brain and Mind Centre, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Vivian W Y Liao
- Brain and Mind Centre, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Han C Chua
- Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Rikke S Møller
- Department of Epilepsy Genetics and Personalized Medicine, The Danish Epilepsy Centre, Filadelfia, Dianalund, Denmark
- Department of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Mary Chebib
- Brain and Mind Centre, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Philip K Ahring
- Brain and Mind Centre, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Rocha K, Marinho V, Magalhães F, Carvalho V, Fernandes T, Ayres M, Crespo E, Velasques B, Ribeiro P, Cagy M, Bastos VH, Gupta DS, Teixeira S. Unskilled shooters improve both accuracy and grouping shot having as reference skilled shooters cortical area: An EEG and tDCS study. Physiol Behav 2020; 224:113036. [PMID: 32598941 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been used as a non-invasive method for enhanced motor and cognitive abilities. However, no previous study has investigated if the tDCS application in unskilled shooters on cortical sites, selected based on the cortical activity of skilled shooters, improves the accuracy and shot grouping. Sixty participants were selected, which included 10 skilled shooters and 50 unskilled shooters. After we identified the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) as the area with the highest activity in skilled shooters, we applied anodal tDCS over the right DLPFC in the unskilled shooters under two conditions: sham-tDCS (placebo) and real-tDCS (anodal tDCS). We also analyzed electroencephalography. Our results indicated that anodal tDCS application enhanced the shot accuracy (p = 0.001). Furthermore, the beta power in the EEG recording was higher in the left DLPFC, left and right parietal cortex (p = 0,001) after applying anodal tDCS, while the low-gamma power was higher in the right DLPFC in sham-tDCS (p = 0.001) and right parietal cortex after anodal-tDCS (p = 0.001). Our findings indicate that anodal tDCS can improve accuracy and shot grouping when applied over the unskilled shooters' right DLPFC. Furthermore, beta and low-gamma bands are influenced by anodal tDCS over the right DLPFC, which may be predictive of skill improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaline Rocha
- Neuro-innovation Technology & Brain Mapping Laboratory, Federal University of Delta of Parnaíba, Parnaíba, Brazil; The Northeast Biotechnology Network, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil.
| | - Victor Marinho
- Neuro-innovation Technology & Brain Mapping Laboratory, Federal University of Delta of Parnaíba, Parnaíba, Brazil; The Northeast Biotechnology Network, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil
| | - Francisco Magalhães
- Neuro-innovation Technology & Brain Mapping Laboratory, Federal University of Delta of Parnaíba, Parnaíba, Brazil; The Northeast Biotechnology Network, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil
| | - Valécia Carvalho
- Neuro-innovation Technology & Brain Mapping Laboratory, Federal University of Delta of Parnaíba, Parnaíba, Brazil; The Northeast Biotechnology Network, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil
| | - Thayaná Fernandes
- Neuro-innovation Technology & Brain Mapping Laboratory, Federal University of Delta of Parnaíba, Parnaíba, Brazil
| | - Marcos Ayres
- Neuro-innovation Technology & Brain Mapping Laboratory, Federal University of Delta of Parnaíba, Parnaíba, Brazil; The Northeast Biotechnology Network, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil
| | - Eric Crespo
- Neuro-innovation Technology & Brain Mapping Laboratory, Federal University of Delta of Parnaíba, Parnaíba, Brazil
| | - Bruna Velasques
- Brain Mapping and Sensory Motor Integration Laboratory, Institute of Psychiatry of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Pedro Ribeiro
- Brain Mapping and Sensory Motor Integration Laboratory, Institute of Psychiatry of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Mauricio Cagy
- Biomedical Engineering Program, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Victor Hugo Bastos
- The Northeast Biotechnology Network, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil; Brain Mapping and Functionality Laboratory, Federal University of Delta do Parnaíba, Parnaíba, Brazil
| | - Daya S Gupta
- Department of Biology, Camden County College, Blackwood, NJ, United States
| | - Silmar Teixeira
- Neuro-innovation Technology & Brain Mapping Laboratory, Federal University of Delta of Parnaíba, Parnaíba, Brazil; The Northeast Biotechnology Network, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil
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Quintas M, Neto JL, Pereira-Monteiro J, Barros J, Sequeiros J, Sousa A, Alonso I, Lemos C. Interaction between γ-aminobutyric acid A receptor genes: new evidence in migraine susceptibility. PLoS One 2013; 8:e74087. [PMID: 24040174 PMCID: PMC3764027 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2013] [Accepted: 07/26/2013] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Migraine is a common neurological episodic disorder with a female-to-male prevalence 3- to 4-fold higher, suggesting a possible X-linked genetic component. Our aims were to assess the role of common variants of gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor (GABAAR) genes, located in the X-chromosome, in migraine susceptibility and the possible interaction between them. An association study with 188 unrelated cases and 286 migraine-free controls age- and ethnic matched was performed. Twenty-three tagging SNPs were selected in three genes (GABRE, GABRA3 and GABRQ). Allelic, genotypic and haplotypic frequencies were compared between cases and controls. We also focused on gene-gene interactions. The AT genotype of rs3810651 of GABRQ gene was associated with an increased risk for migraine (OR: 4.07; 95% CI: 1.71-9.73, p=0.002), while the CT genotype of rs3902802 (OR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.21-0.78, p=0.006) and GA genotype of rs2131190 of GABRA3 gene (OR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.32-0.88, p=0.013) seem to be protective factors. All associations were found in the female group and maintained significance after Bonferroni correction. We also found three nominal associations in the allelic analyses although there were no significant results in the haplotypic analyses. Strikingly, we found strong interactions between six SNPs encoding for different subunits of GABAAR, all significant after permutation correction. To our knowledge, we show for the first time, the putative involvement of polymorphisms in GABAAR genes in migraine susceptibility and more importantly we unraveled a role for novel gene-gene interactions opening new perspectives for the development of more effective treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Quintas
- UnIGENe IBMC – Instituto de Biologia Molecular Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - João Luís Neto
- UnIGENe IBMC – Instituto de Biologia Molecular Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - José Pereira-Monteiro
- UnIGENe IBMC – Instituto de Biologia Molecular Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Serviço de Neurologia, CHP-HSA, Centro Hospitalar do Porto, Hospital de Santo António. Abel Salazar, Porto, Portugal
| | - José Barros
- ICBAS, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Serviço de Neurologia, CHP-HSA, Centro Hospitalar do Porto, Hospital de Santo António. Abel Salazar, Porto, Portugal
| | - Jorge Sequeiros
- UnIGENe IBMC – Instituto de Biologia Molecular Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Alda Sousa
- UnIGENe IBMC – Instituto de Biologia Molecular Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Isabel Alonso
- UnIGENe IBMC – Instituto de Biologia Molecular Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Carolina Lemos
- UnIGENe IBMC – Instituto de Biologia Molecular Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- * E-mail:
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Archbold GE, Dobbek N, Nader K. Temporal dynamics of recovery from extinction shortly after extinction acquisition. Learn Mem 2013; 20:395-8. [PMID: 23858050 DOI: 10.1101/lm.028225.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Evidence suggests that extinction is new learning. Memory acquisition involves both short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) components; however, few studies have examined early phases of extinction retention. Retention of auditory fear extinction was examined at various time points. Shortly (1-4 h) after extinction acquisition spontaneous recovery was high compared to that after longer delays (8-24 h). Recall of a consolidated extinction trace was also impaired if it was preceded 1 h by extinction of a novel CS; propranolol did not attenuate this effect. These results suggest poor extinction retention reflects a retrieval impairment caused by the aversive experience of extinction training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgina E Archbold
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A1B1.
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Heaney CF, Bolton MM, Murtishaw AS, Sabbagh JJ, Magcalas CM, Kinney JW. Baclofen administration alters fear extinction and GABAergic protein levels. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2012; 98:261-71. [PMID: 23010137 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2012.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2012] [Revised: 09/06/2012] [Accepted: 09/13/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The investigation of GABAergic systems in learning and extinction has principally focused on ionotropic GABA(A) receptors. Less well characterized is the metabotropic GABA(B) receptor, which when activated, induces a more sustained inhibitory effect and has been implicated in regulating oscillatory activity. Few studies have been carried out utilizing GABA(B) ligands in learning, and investigations of GABA(B) in extinction have primarily focused on interactions with drugs of abuse. The current study examined changes in GABA(B) receptor function using the GABA(B) agonist baclofen (2 mg/mL) or the GABA(B) antagonist phaclofen (0.3 mg/mL) on trace cued and contextual fear conditioning and extinction. The compounds were either administered during training and throughout extinction in Experiment 1, or starting 24 h after training and throughout extinction in Experiment 2. All drugs were administered 1 mL/kg via intraperitoneal injection. These studies demonstrated that the administration of baclofen during training and extinction trials impaired animals' ability to extinguish the fear association to the CS, whereas the animals that were administered baclofen starting 24 h after training (Experiment 2) did display some extinction. Further, contextual fear extinction was impaired by baclofen in both experiments. Tissue analyses suggest the cued fear extinction deficit may be related to changes in the GABA(B2) receptor subunit in the amygdala. The data in the present investigation demonstrate that GABA(B) receptors play an important role in trace cued and contextual fear extinction, and may function differently than GABA(A) receptors in learning, memory, and extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelcie F Heaney
- Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, United States
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Maternal thiamine restriction during lactation induces cognitive impairments and changes in glutamate and GABA concentrations in brain of rat offspring. Behav Brain Res 2010; 211:33-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2010.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2009] [Revised: 02/25/2010] [Accepted: 03/01/2010] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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