Role of NMDA receptor-mediated abnormalities of GABAergic interneurons in psychiatric disorders

GABAergic interneurons are neurons that mainly release the neurotransmitter of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), accounting for approximately 20% of the total number of neurons in the cerebral cortex. They form wide synaptic connections with the pyramidal cells and regulate the pyramidal activity, playing an important role in maintenance of excitation/inhibition balance in cortical circuits. Recently, studies have shown that GABAergic interneurons dysfunction is the key mechanism underlying neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, and autism. N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors are the main receptors in GABAergic interneurons, and its dysfunction and different subunit deletions can mediate GABAergic interneuron dysfunction.