Histone Deacetylase Inhibition Rescues Maternal Deprivation-Induced GABAergic Metaplasticity through Restoration of AKAP Signaling

Adverse early-life experiences such as child neglect and abuse increase the risk of developing addiction and stress-related disorders through alterations in motivational systems including the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) pathway. Here we investigated whether a severe early-life stress (i.e., maternal deprivation, MD) promotes DA dysregulation through an epigenetic impairment of synaptic plasticity within ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA neurons. Using a single 24-hr episode of MD and whole-cell patch clamp recording in rat midbrain slices, we show that MD selectively induces long-term depression (LTD) and shifts spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) toward LTD at GABAergic synapses onto VTA DA neurons through epigenetic modifications of postsynaptic scaffolding A-kinase anchoring protein 79/150 (AKAP79/150) signaling. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition rescues GABAergic metaplasticity and normalizes AKAP signaling in MD animals. MD-induced reversible HDAC-mediated GABAergic dysfunction within the VTA may be a mechanistic link for increased propensity to mental health disorders following MD.