Role of Citron K in the Development of Cerebral Cortex

Deletion of the citron kinase gene selectively affects the number and distribution of interneurons in barrelfield cortex

“…Our observations show that deletion of the cit ‐ k gene causes a significant depletion of interneurons in the barrelfield cortex, as detected at P13. We document that such depletion leads not only to a decrease in the overall number of interneurons, but also in their density, and that this decrease is greater (by 60–90%, depending on interneuron type) than would be predicted on the basis of the reduced brain size in the knockout animals (−34% cortical volume; Muzzi et al,2006). Also, the NND between interneurons is greater in the cit ‐ k −/− mice for all subtypes of GABAergic cells, and across all cortical layers; this increase is reflected in the decreased density of specific subtypes of interneurons (although it does not reach statistical significance in the infragranular layers for CR‐ and GAD‐IR cells).…”

“…Here we document qualitative and quantitative alterations in the density, distribution, and morphology of selected subtypes of interneurons in the developing barrelfield cortex of cit ‐ k −/− mice; we focus on the barrelfield of the primary somatosensory cortex, because of its stereotypical development, and because it is shrunken, with a marked decrease in barrel size and a relative increase in barrel septa (Muzzi et al,2006). Some of our observations on interneurons are similar to those reported for the cortex of human patients with cortical dysplasias and other developmental disorders (Tassi et al,2002); these observations point to an anatomical substrate that may underlie the epileptic seizures that occur in these patients and that also affect the mice.…”