Impacto of Zika vírus congenital infection on cortical GABAergic interneurons development

Cerebral cortical layers are composed of diverse cell populations, including glutamatergic pyramidal projecting neurons and local GABAergic interneurons. The adequate development of these neuronal populations is essential for the neurochemical balance between excitation and inhibition and physiological cerebral function. However, cortical development steps (cellular proliferation, migration and positioning, differentiation, and regressive events) can be affected by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, compromising cortical formation. The last includes pathogens that reach the developing fetus via vertical transmission during pregnancy. That is the case of Congenital Zika Syndrome. Among characteristics observed in affected children, are hyperexcitability signs such as irritability and seizures. Previous studies in our lab also showed that animal models infected with the Zika virus are more susceptible to seizures. These data point to an excitation/inhibition imbalance, which made us focus this study on the development of the inhibitory interneurons population.