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Objective
Prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA) enhances the risk for later development of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). An altered gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system may be a key factor in ASD. Here we investigated possible changes in the GABA system in rats exposed to a low dose of prenatal VPA.
Method
We performed autoradiography with [
3
H]muscimol, (a GABA
A
receptor agonist), and [
11
C]Ro15-4513 (a partial agonist of the GABA
A
α
1+5
receptor subtypes), in brain sections containing amygdala, thalamus and hippocampus of rats treated prenatally with 20 mg/kg VPA or saline from the 12th day of gestation.
Result
Prenatal VPA significantly increased [
11
C]Ro15-4513 binding in the left amygdala compared with controls (
p
<0.05). This difference was not observed in the hippocampus, thalamus or right amygdala. No differences were observed in [
3
H]muscimol binding.
Conclusion
We observed an asymmetric increase in GABA
A
receptor binding. Disturbances in the GABA
A
receptor system have also been detected in human autism with [
11
C]Ro15-4513.