Abstract

The K+/Cl- co-transporter KCC2 (SLC12A5) regulates neuronal transmembrane chloride gradients and thereby controls GABA signaling in the brain. KCC2 downregulation is observed in several neurological and psychiatric disorders including epilepsy, neuropathic pain and autism spectrum disorders. Paradoxical, excitatory GABA signaling is usually assumed to contribute to abnormal network activity underlying the pathology. We tested this hypothesis and explored the functional impact of chronic KCC2 downregulation in the rat dentate gyrus. Although the reversal potential of GABAA receptor currents was depolarized in KCC2 knockdown neurons, this shift was fully compensated by depolarization of their resting membrane potential. This effect was due to downregulation of Task-3 leak potassium channels that we show require KCC2 for membrane trafficking. Increased neuronal excitability upon KCC2 suppression altered dentate gyrus rhythmogenesis that could be normalized by chemogenetic hyperpolarization. Our data reveal KCC2 downregulation engages complex synaptic and cellular alterations beyond GABA signaling that concur to perturb network activity, thus offering novel targets for therapeutic intervention.