Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 11, 3943-3959, Copyright © 1991 by Society for Neuroscience
Pre- and postnatal development of GABA receptors in Macaca monkey visual cortex
C Shaw, L Cameron, D March, M Cynader, B Zielinski and A Hendrickson
Department of Ophthalmology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
GABA is a putative inhibitory neurotransmitter in adult mammalian visual
cortex but also has been implicated as playing a crucial role in cortical
information processing during development. In order to understand better
the role of GABA during primate visual cortex development, we have examined
the time course of GABAA and GABAB receptor ontogenesis in 18 Macaca
nemestrina monkeys ranging from fetal day 61 (F61d) to adulthood. The GABA
and benzodiazepine binding sites of the GABAA receptor were detected by
3H-muscimol (3H-MS) and 3H- flunitrazepam (3H-FZ), respectively. GABAB
receptors were detected by 3H-baclofen (3H-BA). All ligands were visualized
by in vitro autoradiography. Quantitative analysis of film density was done
to compare laminar changes during pre- and postnatal development.
Saturation binding experiments were done for MS and FZ binding sites to
determine receptor number (Bmax) and affinity (Kd) at selected pre- and
postnatal ages. Both MS and FZ binding sites were present at F61d-72d
throughout the cortical plate and marginal zone. FZ binding sites were more
dense than MS binding sites over the cortical plate at young ages and were
especially dense over the marginal zone. FZ binding sites also were present
in lesser amounts over the subplate and intermediate zone, but not over the
subventricular zone. By F119d-126d, layer 4 could be distinguished by its
higher density for both ligands. The basic adult laminar pattern was
established for both MS and BZ binding sites by birth (birth = F165d-170d).
After birth, MS density increases dramatically in all layers, but layer 4C
remains most dense to adulthood. FZ labeling is heavy in both layers 4 and
3 at birth but after 4 weeks after birth (P4 wk) it declines somewhat in
the supragranular layers so that layer 4C now predominates. Labeling in
layers 5/6 virtually disappears after birth. BA binding sites were present
at F126d, at which time layer 4 was slightly lighter than the remainder of
striate cortex; this laminar pattern remained basically the same throughout
our series to adulthood. Competitive binding of agonist and antagonists for
the GABAA receptor showed that MS binding characteristics were similar at
F126d and P8.5 years (yr). MS binding site Bmax was about 8% of adult
values at F72d, 24% by F126d, and 56% at F152d. Bmax then rose rapidly
after birth to peak at P18wk at 169% of adult values, and then declined to
P1yr. A second peak of 143% was found around P3.5yr, with adult values
reached by P8.5yr.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)