The Effect Of GABA On The Anxiety-like Behaviors And Cognitive Function In GAT-1 Knockout Mice

Background Several studies have showed that γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is involved in anxiety and cognitive function, but the mechanism has not been fully elucidated. GABA transporter 1 (GAT-1) plays an important role in GABA metablism. The GAT-1 is mainly responsible for the removal of GABA from the synaptic cleft and the termination of GABAergic neurotransmission. In this study, the changes of anxiety-like behaviors and cognitive function in GAT-1 knockout mice were investigated through behavior tests.Objective To investigate the effect of GABA on the anxiety-like behaviors and cognitive function in GAT-1 knockout mice.Methods 20 adult GAT-1 knock out (GAT-1-/-) and wild-type (WT) mice (6- to 8-week-old littermates) were divided into two groups:GAT-1 knock out group(GAT-1 KO) and normal control group(NC). The open field test、elevated O-maze and Morris water maze were used to evaluate anxiety-like behaviors and cognitive function.Results1.Compared with WT mice, GAT-1-/- mice made more entries into the central area, spent longer time and travelled more distance in the central area in the open field test (p<0.05). The elevated O-maze show that GAT-1-/- mice spent more time in the open sectors and made more total entries than WT mice did(p<0.01). Both tests indicate reduced anxiety-like behaviors in GAT-1-/- mice.2.During the learning session, the latency to find the platform was significantly longer for GAT-1-/- mice compared with WT mice(p<0.01). During probe test, GAT-1-/- mice spent less time in the target quadrant but more time in the opposite quadrant than WT mice did(p<0.01). Thus, the cognitive funtcion in GAT-1-/- mice was impaired.Conclusions The anxiety-like behaviors were reduced and cognitive function was impaired in GAT-1 knock out mice.