PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Kerin K. Higa
AU  - Baohu Ji
AU  - Mahalah R. Buell
AU  - Victoria B. Risbrough
AU  - Susan B. Powell
AU  - Jared W Young
AU  - Mark A. Geyer
AU  - Xianjin Zhou
TI  - Restoration of <em>Sp4</em> in forebrain GABAergic neurons rescues hypersensitivity to ketamine in <em>Sp4</em> hypomorphic mice
AID  - 10.1101/015677
DP  - 2015 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 015677
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2015/02/26/015677.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2015/02/26/015677.full
AB  - Ketamine produces schizophrenia-like behavioral phenotypes in healthy people. Prolonged ketamine effects and exacerbation of symptoms were observed in schizophrenia patients after administration of ketamine. More recently, ketamine has been used as a potent antidepressant to treat patients with major depression. The genes and neurons that regulate behavioral responses to ketamine, however, remain poorly understood. Our previous studies found that Sp4 hypomorphic mice displayed several behavioral phenotypes relevant to psychiatric disorders, consistent with human SP4 gene associations with schizophrenia, bipolar, and major depression. Among those behavioral phenotypes, hypersensitivity to ketamine-induced hyperlocomotion has been observed in Sp4 hypomorphic mice. Here, we report differential genetic restoration of Sp4 expression in forebrain excitatory neurons or GABAergic neurons in Sp4 hypomorphic mice and the effects of these restorations on different behavioral phenotypes. Restoration of Sp4 in forebrain excitatory neurons did not rescue deficient sensorimotor gating, fear learning, or ketamine-induced hyperlocomotion. Restoration of Sp4 in forebrain GABAergic neurons, however, rescued ketamine-induced hyperlocomotion, but did not rescue deficient sensorimotor gating or fear learning. Our studies suggest that the Sp4 gene in forebrain GABAergic neurons plays an essential role in regulating some behavioral responses to ketamine.