In recent years, considerable progress has been achieved in deciphering the cellular and network functions of GABAergic transmission in the intact developing brain. First, in vivo studies in non-mammalian and mammalian species confirmed the long-held assumption that GABA acts as a mainly depolarizing neurotransmitter at early developmental stages. At the same time, GABAergic transmission was shown to spatiotemporally constrain spontaneous cortical activity, whereas firm evidence for GABAergic excitation in vivo is currently missing. Second, there is a growing body of evidence indicating that depolarizing GABA may contribute to the activity-dependent refinement of neural circuits. Third, alterations in GABA actions have been causally linked to developmental brain disorders and identified as potential targets of timed prophylactic interventions. In this article, we review these major recent findings and argue that both depolarizing and inhibitory GABA actions may be crucial for physiological brain maturation.

近年来，在完整发育中的大脑中，对GABA能传递的细胞和网络功能的解密已经取得了可观的进展。首先，对非哺乳动物和哺乳动物物种的体内研究证实了长期以来一直存在的假设，即GABA在早期发育阶段主要充当去极化神经递质的作用。同时，显示GABA能传递在时空上限制了自发性皮层活动，而目前尚缺乏体内GABA能激发的确凿证据。其次，越来越多的证据表明，去极化GABA可能有助于神经回路的活动依赖性细化。第三，GABA行为的改变与发展性脑部疾病有因果关系，并被确定为定时预防性干预的潜在目标。