Cited by 329Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchTreatment of Major DepressionNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Somatostatin-Positive Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Interneuron Deficits in Depression: Cortical Microcircuit and Therapeutic Perspectives

Open access
Fee, Corey, Banasr, Mounira, Sibille, Etienne·2017·Biological Psychiatry

Abstract

The functional integration of external and internal signals forms the basis of information processing and is essential for higher cognitive functions. This occurs in finely tuned cortical microcircuits whose functions are balanced at the cellular level by excitatory glutamatergic pyramidal neurons and inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) interneurons. The balance of excitation and inhibition, from cellular processes to neural network activity, is characteristically disrupted in multiple neuropsychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia. Specifically, nearly 3 decades of research demonstrate a role for reduced inhibitory GABA level and function across disorders. In MDD, recent evidence from human postmortem and animal studies suggests a selective vulnerability of GABAergic interneurons that coexpress the neuropeptide somatostatin (SST). Advances in cell type-specific molecular genetics have now helped to elucidate several important roles for SST interneurons in cortical processing (regulation of pyramidal cell excitatory input) and behavioral control (mood and cognition). Here, we review evidence for altered inhibitory function arising from GABAergic deficits across disorders and specifically in MDD. We then focus on properties of the cortical microcircuit, where SST-positive GABAergic interneuron deficits may disrupt functioning in several ways. Finally, we discuss the putative origins of SST cell deficits, as informed by recent research, and implications for therapeutic approaches. We conclude that deficits in SST interneurons represent a contributing cellular pathology and therefore a promising target for normalizing altered inhibitory function in MDD and other disorders with reduced SST cell and GABA functions.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.05.024

Cites

153 of 153 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Findings in mood disorders reveal alterations at the levels of intracellular signaling, gene expression, neurotrophic factors, neurogenesis, neuroinflammation, excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission, and synaptic number and function in several brain regions implicated in depression.

    “These findings reveal alterations at the levels of intracellular signaling, gene expression, neurotrophic factors, neurogenesis, neuroinflammation, excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission, and synaptic number and function, and have been described in several brain regions implicated in depression 13-22 .”

    From Neuroplasticity in cognitive and psychological mechanisms of depression: an integrative model (2020) · cites this paper as [16]

    The sections on GABA-related microcircuit deficits and therapeutic approaches describe altered gene and protein expression, excitatory and inhibitory signaling, neurotrophic signaling, inflammation-related changes, and synaptic proteins in depression. The review also identifies changes in several implicated brain regions. It does not establish the full list attributed to it, particularly alterations in neurogenesis or synaptic number. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • GABAergic interneurons, especially the PV+ subtype, have been implicated in neuropsychiatric disease.

    “GABAergic interneurons, especially the PV+ subtype, play an important role in the regulation of neuronal oscillations in the brain (24–27) and have also been implicated in neuropsychiatric disease (66; 67).”

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Fee, C., Banasr, M., & Sibille, E.
Affiliations
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CA)
Corresponding author
Sibille, Etienne
Venue
Biological Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2017-10
Volume
82
Issue
8
Pages
549-559
ISSN
0006-3223 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2622461305
Cited by
329
References
153
Citations by year
2026: 38 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 37 · 2023: 44 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 59 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 31 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 2
FWCI
2.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Biological Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH077159)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
somatostatin interneurons, GABAergic interneurons, major depressive disorder, cortical microcircuits, excitation-inhibition balance, inhibitory dysfunction, pyramidal neurons, mood regulation, cognitive control, therapeutic target
MeSH terms
Animals, Antidepressive Agents, Cerebral Cortex, Depression, gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, Humans, Interneurons, Nerve Net, Somatostatin

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review