Interneurons from Embryonic Development to Cell-Based Therapy

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 344; no. 6180; p. 167
• Main Authors: Southwell, Derek G., Nicholas, Cory R., Basbaum, Allan I., Stryker, Michael P., Kriegstein, Arnold R., Rubenstein, John L., Alvarez-Buylla, Arturo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Association for the Advancement of Science 11.04.2014; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Anatomy; Animals; Brain; Cell Count; Cell Separation; Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy; Cerebral Cortex - cytology; Cerebral Cortex - growth & development; Cerebral Cortex - physiology; Donors; Embryonic Development; Environmental Influences; Epilepsy; Humans; Individualized Instruction; Inhibition; Interneurons - physiology; Interneurons - transplantation; Mental Disorders; Mental Disorders - therapy; Mice; Nervous System Diseases - therapy; Pain; Psychiatry; REVIEW SUMMARY; Schizophrenia
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1240622

Many neurologic and psychiatric disorders are marked by imbalances between neural excitation and inhibition. In the cerebral cortex, inhibition is mediated largely by GABAergic (γ-aminobutyric acid-secreting) interneurons, a cell type that originates in the embryonic ventral telencephalon and populates the cortex through long-distance tangential migration. Remarkably, when transplanted from embryos or in vitro culture preparations, immature interneurons disperse and integrate into host brain circuits, both in the cerebral cortex and in other regions of the central nervous system. These features make interneuron transplantation a powerful tool for the study of neurodevelopmental processes such as cell specification, cell death, and cortical plasticity. Moreover, interneuron transplantation provides a novel strategy for modifying neural circuits in rodent models of epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, mood disorders, and chronic pain.