Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
Cereb Cortex. 2021 Nov 23;32(1):197-215. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhab203.
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the leading monogenic form of intellectual disability and autism, with patients exhibiting numerous auditory-related phenotypes during their developmental period, including communication, language development, and auditory processing deficits. Despite FXS studies describing excitatory-inhibitory (E-I) imbalance in the auditory circuit and an impaired auditory critical period, evaluation of E-I circuitry maturation in the auditory cortex of FXS models remains limited. Here, we examined GABAA receptor (GABAAR)-mediated inhibitory synaptic transmission within the auditory cortex, characterizing normal intracortical circuit development patterns in wild-type (WT) mice and examining their dysregulation in developing Fmr1 knock-out (KO) mice. Electrophysiological recordings revealed gradual developmental shifts in WT L4-L2/3 connectivity, where circuit excitability significantly increased after critical period onset. KO mice exhibited accelerated developmental shifts related to aberrant GABAergic signaling. Specifically, Fmr1 KO L2/3 pyramidal neurons have enhanced developmental sensitivity to pharmacological GABAAR modulators, altered maturation of GABAAR voltage-dependent conductance, with additional presynaptic GABA release alterations. These differences are further accompanied by alterations in developmental long-term potentiation. Together, our results suggest that altered GABAergic signaling within developing Fmr1 KOs impairs the normal patterning of E-I circuit and synaptic plasticity maturation to contribute to the impaired auditory cortex critical period and functional auditory deficits in FXS.
脆性 X 综合征 (FXS) 是导致智力残疾和自闭症的主要单基因形式,患者在发育期间表现出许多与听觉相关的表型,包括沟通、语言发展和听觉处理缺陷。尽管 FXS 研究描述了听觉回路中的兴奋性抑制(E-I)失衡和听觉关键期受损,但 FXS 模型中听觉皮层 E-I 回路成熟的评估仍然有限。在这里,我们研究了听觉皮层中 GABAA 受体 (GABAAR) 介导的抑制性突触传递,描述了野生型 (WT) 小鼠内在皮质回路发育的正常模式,并研究了它们在发育中的 Fmr1 敲除 (KO) 小鼠中的失调。电生理记录显示 WT L4-L2/3 连接的逐渐发育转变,其中电路兴奋性在关键期开始后显著增加。KO 小鼠表现出与异常 GABA 能信号相关的加速发育转变。具体来说,Fmr1 KO L2/3 锥体神经元对药理学 GABAAR 调节剂的发育敏感性增强,GABAAR 电压依赖性电导的成熟发生改变,并且存在额外的突触前 GABA 释放改变。这些差异进一步伴随着发育性长时程增强的改变。总之,我们的结果表明,发育中的 Fmr1 KO 中 GABA 能信号的改变会损害 E-I 回路的正常模式和突触可塑性成熟,从而导致 FXS 中听觉皮层关键期受损和功能听觉缺陷。