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  • the Korean Society for Brain and Neural Sciences

Article

Review Article

Exp Neurobiol 2017; 26(3): 122-131

Published online June 30, 2017

https://doi.org/10.5607/en.2017.26.3.122

© The Korean Society for Brain and Neural Sciences

Altered GABAergic Signaling in Brain Disease at Various Stages of Life

Yoo Sung Kim and Bo-Eun Yoon*

Department of Molecular Biology, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Korea

Correspondence to: *To whom correspondence should be addressed.
TEL: 82-41-550-3694, FAX: 82-41-559-7941
e-mail: boeunyoon@dankook.ac.kr

Received: March 19, 2017; Revised: May 6, 2017; Accepted: May 15, 2017

Abstract

In the healthy brain, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is regulated by neurons and glia. This begs the question: what happens in the malfunctioning brain? There are many reasons why diseases occur, including genetic mutations, systemic problems, and environmental influences. There are also many ways in which GABA can become dysregulated, such as through alterations in its synthesis or release, and changes in systems that respond to it. Notably, dysregulation of GABA can have a large impact on the brain. To date, few reviews have examined brain diseases in which dysregulation of GABA is implicated as an underlying factor. Accordingly, the time is ripe for investigating alterations in GABAergic signaling that may play a role in changes in neuronal activity observed in the major brain disorders that occur during various stages of life. This review is meant to provide a better understanding of the role of GABA in brain health and contributor to social problems from a scientific perspective.

Keywords: GABA, brain disorder, lifespan, excitatory/inhibitory balance, neurodegenerative disease, neurodevelopmental disease