GABA: A critical player for regulating synaptic plasticity and adult neurogenesis

Abstract

During aging, the decrease of cognitive ability is believed to be the cause of age related neuronal damage and reduced proliferation and differentiation of adult-born neural precursor cells. To modulate the synaptic plasticity and adult neurogenesis, it is of immense importance to enhance the potential of resident neural stem cells of hippocampus and sub ventricular zone (SVZ). The necessity to restore brain functions is enormous in the neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer, Parkinson diseases, stress induced cognitive dysfunction, depression and age-associated and HIV-associated dementia. As a pioneer transmitter, Gamma Amino Butaric Acid (GABA) influences the activity dependent adult neurogenesis and excites immature neurons in adult hippocampus. GABA holds the key for making adult immature neuron to mature functional neuron hence plays critical role in adult neurogenesis.This review aims to discuss about the spatio-temporal expression of various subunit of GABA-A receptor and how these subunits intimately modulates the synaptic plasticity. During developmental period GABAergic neurons mature at early stages and regulate overall neural activity much before the activity of glutamate. Not only during development but also during adult neurogenesis GABA plays a significant role in neurite outgrowth and establishing well network.