Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Identification and Classification of Position-specific GABAA Receptor Subunit Missense Variants for Their Role In Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons
Published on: June 6, 2025
Different transmitter transients underlie presynaptic cell type specificity of GABAA,slow and GABAA,fast
János Szabadics1, Gábor Tamás, Ivan Soltesz
1Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, 193 Irvine Hall, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
Abstract:
Phasic (synaptic) and tonic (extrasynaptic) inhibition represent the two most fundamental forms of GABA(A) receptor-mediated transmission. Inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) generated by GABA(A) receptors are typically extremely rapid synaptic events that do not last beyond a few milliseconds. Although unusually slow GABA(A) IPSCs, lasting for tens of milliseconds, have been observed in recordings of spontaneous events, their origin and mechanisms are not known. We show that neocortical GABA(A,slow) IPSCs originate from a specialized interneuron called neurogliaform cells. Compared with classical GABA(A,fast) IPSCs evoked by basket cells, single spikes in neurogliaform cells evoke extraordinarily prolonged GABA(A) responses that display tight regulation by transporters, low peak GABA concentration, unusual benzodiazepine modulation, and spillover. These results reveal a form of GABA(A) receptor mediated communication by a dedicated cell type that produces slow ionotropic responses with properties intermediate between phasic and tonic inhibition.
More Related Videos
07:51Inhibitory Synapse Formation in a Co-culture Model Incorporating GABAergic Medium Spiny Neurons and HEK293 Cells Stably Expressing GABAA Receptors
Published on: November 14, 2014
14:37Whole-cell Patch-clamp Recordings from Morphologically- and Neurochemically-identified Hippocampal Interneurons
Published on: September 30, 2014
Related Concept Videos
Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters
Neurochemical Transmission: Sites of Drug Action
Classification of Neurotransmitters
Chemical Synapses
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...
Chemical Synapses
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...
G-Protein Gated Ion Channels
Sensory organs,...