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Week 5/2009: Antidepressants, Alcohol or GABA?

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In the January issue of Development magazine, researchers at the Institute of Biotechnology and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Helsinki published new information about nerve cells that have an impact on mood regulation and mental illnesses.

Juha Partanen and his colleagues have studied the establishment of the so-called GABAergic nerve cells, which restrain the activity of other nerve cells. Their development and diversity are rather unknown territory, although there is quite a lot of information on the effects of the cells.

The GABAergic nerve cells in the midbrain play an important part in the regulation of anxiety and motivation, and in the establishment of addictions for example. GABA, a transmitter produced by GABAergic cells, is a key player in the communication route in the brain that people are in the habit of activating with alcohol," Partanen explains. Also Diapam and many other anti-anxiety drugs and antidepressants boost the operations of the said signal route.

In the Development article, Viikki-based researchers present a factor that has a radical impact on the differentiation of nerve cells. No GABAergic nerve cells are produced in the midbrain at all, unless the Gata2 gene is awoken to take care of the production. If the Gata2 gene falls asleep, it means that instead of restraining nerve cells, the system produces cells functioning in the entirely opposite way - that is, boosting the activity of other nerve cells.

Partanen finds it highly likely that individual variation is established in the shape of the neural network as the brain develops, which helps explain the fact that some people are susceptible to mental disorders.

“Hopefully, we have successfully revealed a group of Gata2-controlled genes, the variation of which - that is, the so-called genetic defects - could explain the susceptibility to illness.
Brain development should not be tampered with in the hope of happier people, but, in the future, taking genes into account may make it easier to find the correct medication.”

Text: Virve Pohjanpalo
Picture: Veikko Somerpuro
Translation: AAC Noodi
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