A tale of timing and transport.
Excitatory and inhibitory synapses show long-term plasticity, but spike timing-dependent plasticity was seen only at excitatory connections. No longer. In this issue of Neuron, Woodin et al. demonstrate that coincident pre- and postsynaptic activity acts on the neuronal K+/Cl- cotransporter KCC2 to shift the reversal potential for Cl- and thus alters the effectiveness of GABAergic synapses.
Stell
Brandon
B
Molecular Cellular and Integrative Physiology IDP Graduate Program, The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Mody
Istvan
I
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D027981:Symporters / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D000096922:K Cl- Cotransporters
D027981:Symporters; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D000096922:K Cl- Cotransporters