Enigmatic GABAergic networks in adult neurogenic zones

The discovery and description of complex GABAergic networks in adult neurogenic zones suggest the intriguing possibility of information transfer from neuronal activity to immature cells. New questions also emerge regarding the mode of GABAergic signaling and the temporal pattern of receptor activation. Non-synaptic (paracrine) signaling communicates information on population size to control the proliferation and migration of progenitor cells in the subventricular zone. How this signaling relates to olfactory bulb network activity, however, remains largely unknown. This review argues that paracrine signaling precedes and then co-exists with synaptic GABAergic signaling, which provides the timing and instruction for cells to properly differentiate and synaptically integrate into an existing network. The evidence examined in this review indicates that the commonly cited mechanism of GABA's action (i.e., depolarization leading to voltage-gated calcium channel activation and calcium entry) needs to be re-examined in the context of the unique cellular properties and organization of the adult neurogenic regions.