Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Methods for the Discovery of Novel Compounds Modulating a Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Type A Neurotransmission
Published on: August 16, 2018
Modeling Starburst cells' GABA(B) receptors and their putative role in motion sensitivity
Norberto M Grzywacz1, Charles L Zucker
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience Graduate Program, and Center For Visual Science and Technology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA. nmg@bmsr.usc.edu
Abstract:
Neal and Cunningham (Neal, M. J., and J. R. Cunningham. 1995. J. Physiol. (Lond.). 482:363-372) showed that GABA(B) agonists and glycinergic antagonists enhance the light-evoked release of retinal acetylcholine. They proposed that glycinergic cells inhibit the cholinergic Starburst amacrine cells and are in turn inhibited by GABA through GABA(B) receptors. However, as recently shown, glycinergic cells do not appear to have GABA(B) receptors. In contrast, the Starburst amacrine cell has GABA(B) receptors in a subpopulation of its varicosities. We thus propose an alternate model in which GABA(B)-receptor activation reduces the release of ACh from some dendritic compartments onto a glycinergic cell, which then feeds back and inhibits the Starburst cell. In this model, the GABA necessary to make these receptors active comes from the Starburst cell itself, making them autoreceptors. Computer simulations of this model show that it accounts quantitatively for the Neal and Cunningham data. We also argue that GABA(B) receptors could work to increase the sensitivity to motion over other stimuli.
More Related Videos
11:57Using an α-Bungarotoxin Binding Site Tag to Study GABA A Receptor Membrane Localization and Trafficking
Published on: March 28, 2014
08:04Identification and Classification of Position-specific GABAA Receptor Subunit Missense Variants for Their Role In Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons
Published on: June 6, 2025
Related Concept Videos
G-Protein Gated Ion Channels
Sensory organs,...
Activation and Inactivation of G Proteins
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism