Topic: somatostatin (SST)

Inhibitory neurons in the cortex are highly diverse in terms of anatomy, electrophysiology and functions. In the mouse cortex, three major classes of interneurons expressing parvalbumin (PV), somatostatin (SST) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) constitute more than 80% of GABAergic interneurons. Together with excitatory (E) neurons, they form a canonical microcircuit relevant for cortical computations. Multiple experimental studies have revealed that this canonical microcircuit can exhibit counterintuitive nonlinear behavior. More specifically, the circuit can perform response reversal w

The fundamental language of the brain is articulated by timing and frequency patterns of neuronal output that are interpreted by receiving neurons through a basic mechanism known as short-term plasticity (STP). However, these synaptic dynamics exhibit considerable heterogeneity both within and across genetically defined cell types which poses a critical barrier to interpreting this language. Beninger et al. addressed this heterogeneity in excitatory human and rodent synapses by organizing their dynamics into functional subtypes which cannot be explained by continuum hypotheses and partly overl

Somatostatin (SST) is a neuropeptide which expression characterizes a subpopulation of GABAergic interneurons. SST exerts its physiological role through 5 G protein-coupled receptors. This neuropeptide is of great interest in the pathophysiological context as a deficit of SST is observed in many neurological diseases, such as epilepsy. In the hippocampus, the effects of SST on the principal cells are known. It inhibits excitatory synaptic transmission by decreasing glutamate release from pyramidal neurons and reduces their intrinsic excitability by facilitating currents carried by Kv7 channels

Sensory abnormalities, including altered olfaction, represent potential diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Atypical GABAergic neurons have been extensively described in ASD animal models. Olfactory brain regions contain a large subpopulation of GABAergic interneurons that express somatostatin (Sst). However, the role of Sst-expressing interneurons in olfactory processing in ASD remains unclear. In this study we evaluated the mRNA expression of GABAergic synaptic components in the olfactory bulb and frontal cortex, the number of GABAergic postsynaptic puncta in primary olfa