Downregulation of GABAA Receptor Protein Subunits α6, β2, δ, ε, γ2, θ, and ρ2 in Superior Frontal Cortex of Subjects with Autism

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 44; no. 8; pp. 1833 - 1845
• Main Authors: Fatemi, S. Hossein, Reutiman, Teri J., Folsom, Timothy D., Rustan, Oyvind G., Rooney, Robert J., Thuras, Paul D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.08.2014; Springer
• Subjects: Adult; Animals; Autistic Disorder - genetics; Autistic Disorder - metabolism; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Cerebellum - metabolism; Child and School Psychology; Child clinical studies; Developmental disorders; Down-Regulation; Female; Frontal Lobe - metabolism; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid - metabolism; Gene Expression; Humans; Infantile autism; Male; Medical sciences; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Parietal Lobe - metabolism; Pediatrics; Protein Subunits - genetics; Protein Subunits - metabolism; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public Health; Rats; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Receptors, GABA-A - genetics; Receptors, GABA-A - metabolism; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Young Adult; GABA; Autism; Brain; GABRβ2; Frontal cortex; GABRα6; Human; Central nervous system; Developmental disorder; Subunit; Protein; Encephalon; Neurotransmitter; Gabaergic receptor A
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-014-2078-x

We measured protein and mRNA levels for nine gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABA A ) receptor subunits in three brain regions (cerebellum, superior frontal cortex, and parietal cortex) in subjects with autism versus matched controls. We observed changes in mRNA for a number of GABA A and GABA B subunits and overall reduced protein expression for GABA A receptor alpha 6 (GABRα6), GABA A receptor beta 2 (GABRβ2), GABA A receptor delta (GABRδ), GABA A receptor epsilon (GABRε), GABA A receptor gamma 2 (GABRγ2), GABA A receptor theta (GABRθ), and GABA A receptor rho 2 (GABRρ2) in superior frontal cortex from subjects with autism. Our data demonstrate systematic changes in GABA A&B subunit expression in brains of subjects with autism, which may help explain the presence of cognitive abnormalities in subjects with autism.