Analyses on the mechanisms of the teratogenic effectsof GABAA receptor-targeting drugs by way of the perturbation of the regulation of the cellular properties of neural progenitor cells

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Fetal exposure to GABA_A receptor agonists, which are used as anesthetic drugs etc., often causes the malformation of brain tissues and the impairment of brain function. The results of this study showed that fetal exposure to GABA_Areceptor agonists influence the transition from neuroepithelial cells to radial glia and the subtypes of neurons that the neural progenitors produce, suggesting that these effects underlie the functions of GABA_Areceptor-acting substances as teratogens for the central nervous system. Our results also showed that taurine might function as a principal ligand for GABA_A receptors in the early phase of neocortical development, implying that the developing neocortices are more sensitive to GABA_A receptor agonists at these stages when GABA is much less than taurine inthe developing neocortices.