Topic: GABAergic

Within the vertebrate neocortex and other telencephalic structures, molecularly-defined neurons tend to segregate at first order into GABAergic types and glutamatergic types. Two fundamental questions arise: (1) do non-telencephalic neurons similarly segregate by neurotransmitter status, and (2) do GABAergic (or glutamatergic) types sampled in different structures share many molecular features in common, beyond the few genes directly responsible for neurotransmitter synthesis and release? To address these questions, we used single-nucleus RNA sequencing, analyzing over 2.4 million brain cells

KCC2, best known as the neuron-specific chloride extruder that sets the strength and polarity of GABAergic Cl-currents, is a multifunctional molecule which interacts with other ion-regulatory proteins and (structurally) with the neuronal cytoskeleton. Its multiple roles in the generation and suppression of seizures have been widely studied. In my talk, I will address some fundamental issues which are relevant in this field of research: What are EGABA shifts about? What is the role of KCC2 in shunting inhibition? What is meant by “the balance between excitation and inhibition” and, in this con