Loss of cannabinoid CB1 receptors induces cortical migration malformations and increases seizure susceptibility
Authors list
Javier Díaz-Alonso Adán de Salas-Quiroga Juan Paraíso-Luna Daniel García-Rincón Patricia P Garcez Maddy Parsons Clara Andradas Cristina Sánchez Francois Guillemot Manuel Guzmán Ismael Galve-RoperhAbstract
Neuronal migration is a fundamental process of brain development, and its disruption underlies devastating neurodevelopmental disorders. The transcriptional programs governing this process are relatively well characterized. However, how environmental cues instruct neuronal migration remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that the cannabinoid CB1 receptor is strictly required for appropriate pyramidal neuron migration in the developing cortex. Acute silencing of the CB1 receptor alters neuronal morphology and impairs radial migration. Consequently, CB1 siRNA-electroporated mice display cortical malformations mimicking subcortical band heterotopias and increased seizure susceptibility in adulthood. Importantly, rescuing the CB1 deficiency-induced radial migration arrest by knockdown of the GTPase protein RhoA restored the hyperexcitable neuronal network and seizure susceptibility. Our findings show that CB1 receptor/RhoA signaling regulates pyramidal neuron migration, and that deficient CB1 receptor signaling may contribute to cortical development malformations leading to refractory epilepsy independently of its canonical neuromodulatory role in the adult brain.
Journal details
Journal Cerebral Cortex
Volume 27
Issue number 11
Pages 5303-5317
Available online
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Publisher website (DOI) 10.1093/cercor/bhw309
Europe PubMed Central 28334226
Pubmed 28334226
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