Human and animal studies indicate that κ-opioid receptors (KORs) are involved in ethanol drinking and dependence (Xuei et al., 2006; Walker and Koob, 2008; Walker et al., 2011). Using in vitro single-cell recording techniques in mouse brain slices, we examined the physiologic effects of KOR activation in the central amygdala (CeA) on GABAergic neurotransmission and its interaction with acute et...

Cultured hippocampal neurons were used as a model system to address experimentally the spatial and temporal sequence leading to the appropriate sorting of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic terminals to different cellular target domains and the role of neural activity in this process. By using antibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65) and synaptophysin, we examined the developme...

At least half of the basal forebrain neurons which project to the cortex are GABAergic. Whilst hypotheses about the attentional functions mediated by the cholinergic component of this corticopetal projection system have been substantiated in recent years, knowledge about the functional contributions of its GABAergic branch has remained extremely scarce. The possibility that basal forebrain GABA...

In the adult central nervous system (CNS), GABA is a predominant inhibitory neurotransmitter that regulates glutamatergic activity. Recent studies have revealed that GABA serves as an excitatory transmitter in the immature CNS and acts as a trophic factor for brain development. Furthermore, synaptic transmission by GABA is also involved in the expression of higher brain functions, such as memor...

From early embryonic development to adulthood, GABA release participates in the construction of the mammalian cerebral cortex. The maturation of GABAergic neurotransmission is a protracted process which takes place in discrete steps and results from the dynamic interaction between developmentally directed gene expression and brain activity. During the course of development, GABAergic interneuro...

Neural circuits are composed of mainly glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons, which communicate through synaptic connections. Many factors instruct the formation and function of these synapses; however, it is difficult to dissect the contribution of intrinsic cell programs from that of extrinsic environmental effects in an intact network. Here, we perform paired recordings from two-neuron microcu...

The study of neural plasticity and related memory functions is one the fundamental fields in anesthesiology. Understanding this issue very important both for physician - anesthesiologist-resuscitator, patient. This review literature describes structures processes central nervous system which a sense are target amnestic action sedation anesthesia medications. possibilities implicit explicit form...

As a well-known inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, gamma-aminobutyric acid also has critical roles in immune system. Immune cells (e.g., lymphocytes, macrophages) express the components of GABAergic system, including GABA receptors, GABA transporters, and GABA metabolic enzymes. The functions of immune cells are highly impacted on GABA signaling. GABAergic components neg...

background: cell therapy of many neurodegenerative diseases using bone marrow stromal cells (bmsc) requires the differentiation of bmsc into neuronal subtype. however, the transdifferentiation of bmsc into gabaergic phenotype requires more investigation. methods: in this study, bmsc of adult female rats were pre-induced into neuroblast-like cells using 1 mm β-mercaptoethanol (βme) and 10 m ret...

BACKGROUND European honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) foragers have a highly developed visual system that is used for navigation. To clarify the neural basis underlying the highly sophisticated visual ability of foragers, we investigated the neural activity pattern of the optic lobes (OLs) in pollen-foragers and re-orienting bees, using the immediate early gene kakusei as a neural activity marker. ...