Abnormal generation of inhibitory neurons that synthesize γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) is characteristic of neuropsychological disorders. We provide evidence that the extracellular matrix molecule tenascin-R (TNR) - which is predominantly expressed by a subpopulation of interneurons - plays a role in the generation of GABAergic and granule neurons in the murine dentate gyrus by regulating fa...

Evidence from electrophysiological studies has suggested an inhibitory interaction between GABAergic neurons in substantia nigra pars reticulata and dopaminergic neurons in pars compacta. However, that this inhibitory interaction is due to a projection from pars reticulata to pars compacta has never been demonstrated directly, nor has the GABAergic neuron that mediates the interaction been iden...

BACKGROUND Although extensive research has demonstrated the importance of excitatory granule neurons in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus in normal learning and memory and in the pathogenesis of amnesia in Alzheimer's disease (AD), the role of hilar GABAergic inhibitory interneurons, which control the granule neuron activity, remains unclear. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We explored ...

Cardiovascular function is regulated by a dynamic balance composed of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. Sympathoexcitatory presympathetic neurons (PSNs) in the rostral ventrolateral medulla project directly to cardiac and vasomotor sympathetic preganglionic neurons in the spinal cord. In proximity to the PSNs in the medulla, there are preganglionic cardiac vagal neurons (CVNs) within th...

Cortical GABAergic (gamma-aminobutyric acidergic) neurons include a recently identified subset whose projections extend over relatively long distances in adult rodents and primates. A number of these inhibitory projection neurons are located in and above the conventionally identified white matter, suggesting their persistence from, or a correspondence with, the developmental subplate. GABAergic...

The motor cortico-basal ganglion loop is critical for motor planning, execution, and learning. Balanced excitation and inhibition in this loop is crucial for proper motor output. Excitatory neurons have been thought to be the only source of motor cortical input to the striatum. Here, we identify long-range projecting GABAergic neurons in the primary (M1) and secondary (M2) motor cortex that tar...

The homeostatic control of body temperature is essential for survival in mammals and is known to be regulated in part by temperature-sensitive neurons in the hypothalamus. However, the specific neural pathways and corresponding neural populations have not been fully elucidated. To identify these pathways, we used cFos staining to identify neurons that are activated by a thermal challenge and fo...

The molecular machinery governing glutamatergic-GABAergic neuronal subtype specification is unclear. Here we describe a cerebellar mutant, cerebelless, which lacks the entire cerebellar cortex in adults. The primary defect of the mutant brains was a specific inhibition of GABAergic neuron production from the cerebellar ventricular zone (VZ), resulting in secondary and complete loss of external ...

The mechanism underlying the determination of neurotransmitter phenotype in the developing mesencephalon, particularly GABAergic versus glutamatergic fate, remains largely unknown. Here, we show in mice that the basic helix-loop-helix transcriptional repressor gene Helt (also known as Megane and Heslike) functions as a selector gene that determines GABAergic over glutamatergic fate in the mesen...

In previous studies, neurons in the medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) were classified mainly into 2 types according to their intrinsic membrane properties in in vitro slice preparations. However, it has not been determined whether the classified neurons are excitatory or inhibitory ones. In the present study, to clarify the relationship between the chemical and electrophysiological properties of ...