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Abstract
There are two types of inhibitory postsynaptic potentials in the cerebral cortex. Fast inhibition is mediated by ionotropic γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors, and slow inhibition is due to metabotropic GABAB receptors. Several neuron classes elicit inhibitory postsynaptic potentials through GABAA receptors, but possible distinct sources of slow inhibition remain unknown. We identified a class of GABAergic interneurons, the neurogliaform cells, that, in contrast to other GABA-releasing cells, elicited combined GABAA and GABAB receptor–mediated responses with single action potentials and that predominantly targeted the dendritic spines of pyramidal neurons. Slow inhibition evoked by a distinct interneuron in spatially restricted postsynaptic compartments could locally and selectively modulate cortical excitability.
↵* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: gtamas{at}bio.u-szeged.hu
