The dual glutamatergic-GABAergic phenotype of hippocampal granule cells.
Markers of the glutamatergic and GABAergic phenotypes coexist in developing hippocampal granule cells, and activation of these neurons produces simultaneous glutamate-receptor-mediated and GABA-receptor-mediated responses in their postsynaptic cells. In the adult, markers of the GABAergic phenotype and the consequent GABAergic transmission disappear but can be transiently expressed in an activity-dependent manner. Coexistence of glutamate and GABA in neurons from other regions of the brain is being discovered, and the possibility of these neurotransmitters being co-released gives the CNS a powerful computational tool. Although waiting to be confirmed by paired recordings, the hypothesis that glutamate and GABA are co-released from single cells is a valuable heuristic proposal in understanding the plasticity inherent to neuronal communication.
Gutiérrez
Rafael
R
Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Apartado Postal 14-740, México City, DF 07000, México. grafael@fisio.cinvestav.mx
D000818:Animals; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid