L-type Ca2+ channel-mediated short-term plasticity of GABAergic synapses

K Jensen, I Mody - Nature neuroscience, 2001 - nature.com
K Jensen, I Mody
Nature neuroscience, 2001nature.com
In the cerebral cortex, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) is
released by GABAergic neurons onto GABAA and GABAB receptors, and regulates
neuronal excitability, postsynaptic action potential firing, and dendritic and synaptic
integration. Various interneurons use either N-or P/Q-type Ca2+ channels for the Ca2+ influx
into their terminals, whereas L-type Ca2+ channels are not normally associated with GABA
release. In dual recordings from hippocampal basket cells and granule cells, we now report …
Abstract
In the cerebral cortex, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) is released by GABAergic neurons onto GABAA and GABAB receptors, and regulates neuronal excitability, postsynaptic action potential firing, and dendritic and synaptic integration. Various interneurons use either N- or P/Q-type Ca2+ channels for the Ca2+ influx into their terminals, whereas L-type Ca2+ channels are not normally associated with GABA release. In dual recordings from hippocampal basket cells and granule cells, we now report that short-term plasticity of GABA release is controlled by L-type Ca2+ channels at presynaptic firing rates in the gamma-frequency (40 Hz) range; at these GABAergic synapses, L-type Ca2+ channel antagonists converted post-tetanic potentiation into depression, identifying L-type Ca2+ channels as important modulators of plasticity at GABAergic synapses.
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