Loss of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in GABAergic neurons causes sex-dependent decreases in radial glia-like cell quantity and impairments in cognitive and social behavior.

ABSTRACT: The dentate gyrus (DG) is a unique brain structure in that neurons can be generated postnatally and integrated within existing circuitry throughout life. The maturation process of these newly generated neurons (granule cells) is modulated by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) through a variety of mechanisms such as neural stem pool proliferation, cell survival, signal modulation, and dendritic integration. Disrupted nAChR signaling has been implicated in neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, potentially via alterations in DG neurogenesis. GABAergic interneurons are known to express nAChRs, predominantly the α7 subtype, and have been shown to shape development, integration, and circuit reorganization of DG granule cells. Therefore, we examined histological and behavioral

SUBMITTER: Nacer SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8121181 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature