title: Contribution of metabotropic GABA(B) receptors to neuronal network construction.
abstract: In the 1980s, Bowery and colleagues discovered the presence of a novel, bicuculline-resistant and baclofen-sensitive type of GABA receptor on peripheral nerve terminals, the GABA(B) receptor. Since this pioneering work, GABA(B) receptors have been identified in the Central Nervous System (CNS), where they provide an important inhibitory control of postsynaptic excitability and presynaptic transmitter release. GABA(B) receptors have been implicated in a number of important processes in the adult brain such as the regulation of synaptic plasticity and modulation of rhythmic activity. As a result of these studies, several potential therapeutic applications of GABA(B) receptor ligands have been identified. Recent advances have further shown that GABA(B) receptors play more than a classical inhibitory role in adult neurotransmission, and can in fact function as an important developmental signal early in life. Here we summarize current knowledge on the contribution of GABA(B) receptors to the construction and function of developing neuronal networks.
authors: INSERM-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité 901, Marseille 13009, France. gaiarsa@inmed.univ-mrs.fr
authors: Jean-Luc
authors: JL
authors: Gaiarsa
authors: Nicola
authors: N
authors: Kuczewski
authors: Christophe
authors: C
authors: Porcher
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000378:metabolism*; D018080:Receptors, GABA-B / Q000378:metabolism*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission
chemical_list: D018080:Receptors, GABA-B