Development of the GABA system in organotypic culture of hippocampal and cerebellar slices from a 67-kDa isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67)-deficient mice.

Mice lacking glutamic acid decarboxylase 67kDa (GAD67) are born with much reduced GABA contents but do not survive after birth. To estimate the subsequent development of GAD67-deficient neural tissue, the hippocampal and cerebellar slices were prepared while the mice were alive, and subjected to organotypic culture. Although GABA contents were initially less than 5%, they were markedly increased, and GABA-containing fiber networks were well developed during the culture, indicating that GAD65, the other GAD isoform, largely compensates for the lack of GAD67. Cerebellar Purkinje cells developed similarly in culture.