An update on cholinergic regulation of cholecystokinin-expressing basket cells

Information processing and transfer within cortical circuits requires precise spatiotemporal coordination of excitatory principal cell activity by a relatively small population of inhibitory interneurons that exhibit remarkable anatomical, molecular and electrophysiological diversity. One subtype of interneuron, the cholecystokinin-expressing basket cell (CCKBC), is particularly well suited to integrate and impart emotional features of an animal's physiological state to principal cell entrainment through the inhibitory network as CCKBCs are highly susceptible to neuromodulation by local and subcortically generated signals commonly associated with 'mood' such as cannabinoids, serotonin and acetylcholine. Here we briefly review recent studies that have elucidated the cellular mechanisms underlying cholinergic regulation of CCKBCs.