Increasing Interaction of Amygdalar Afferents with GABAergic Interneurons between Birth and Adulthood

Previous work in animal models has shown that projections from the basolateral amygdala (BLA) progressively infiltrate the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) from birth to adulthood, with the most dramatic sprouting occurring during the postweanling period. GABAergic (gamma-aminobutyric acidergic) interneurons in the human homolog of the rat mPFC have been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, an illness with an onset that is delayed until late adolescence. Here we investigated the interaction of BLA fibers with mPFC GABAergic interneurons from postnatal day 6 (P6) to P120 using anterograde tracing and immunocytochemistry. We found a 3-fold increase in axosomatic and an 8-fold increase in axo-dendritic contacts in both layers II and V of the mPFC. Ultrastructural analysis using a colloidal gold immunolocalization demonstrated that the greatest proportion of BLA appositions were with GABA-negative spines (30.8%) and GABA-positive dendritic shafts (35.5%). Although GABA-negative interactions demonstrated well-defined axo-spinous synapses, membrane specializations could not be identified with confidence in GABA-positive elements. Our findings suggest that GABAergic interneurons are major targets for BLA fibers projecting to the mPFC. The establishment of this circuitry, largely during adolescence, may contribute to the integration of emotional responses with attentional and other cognitive processes mediated within this region during corticolimbic development.