Yamamoto Youhei, Matsubara Atsushi, Ishii Kenji, Makinae Kimitoshi, Sasaki Akira, Shinkawa Hideichi
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hirosaki University School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan.
Acta Otolaryngol. 2002 Oct;122(7):709-14.
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is thought to be the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Although it is distributed in the olivo-cochlear bundles, which constitute the mammalian cochlear efferent system, its function in the cochlea is still obscure. In this study, we investigated the localization of GABAa receptor subunits (alpha1-6, beta1-3, gamma) in the rat cochlea in order to determine the role of GABA in the cochlea. Most spiral ganglion cells were intensely immunolabeled with all the anti-GABAa receptor subunit antibodies. In the organ of Corti, punctate immunoreactivities were observed in inner hair cell regions corresponding to the distribution of GABA. These data suggest that GABAa receptor was present in afferent nerve terminals in inner hair cell regions, and that GABA regulated afferent nerve transmission contacting efferent nerve endings by means of the axo-dendritic synapse function.
γ-氨基丁酸（GABA）被认为是中枢神经系统中的主要抑制性神经递质。尽管它分布于构成哺乳动物耳蜗传出系统的橄榄耳蜗束中，但其在耳蜗中的功能仍不清楚。在本研究中，我们研究了GABAa受体亚基（α1 - 6、β1 - 3、γ）在大鼠耳蜗中的定位，以确定GABA在耳蜗中的作用。大多数螺旋神经节细胞被所有抗GABAa受体亚基抗体强烈免疫标记。在柯蒂氏器中，在内毛细胞区域观察到点状免疫反应，其对应于GABA的分布。这些数据表明，GABAa受体存在于内毛细胞区域的传入神经末梢中，并且GABA通过轴突 - 树突突触功能调节与传出神经末梢接触的传入神经传递。
