Grant: Project Grant

GABAergic interneurons are the major inhibitory cells in the brain and they play a crucial role in controlling the excitability of projection cells in neuronal networks. They are multiple types of inhibitory interneurons which regulate neuronal activity in distinct ways. They are essential for normal brain function and are implicated in many CNS disorders, including epilepsy, autism, Rett syndrome, anxiety disorder, Tourette syndrome, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. However the specific role of the different types of inhibitory interneurons has been difficult to elucidate because of the large diversity of these cells. The hippocampus is an excellent model system to determine the role of inhibitory interneurons in cortical networks because of its highly ordered, well-defined anatomical architecture and its known function in learning and memory. We take advantage of new transgenic mice and molecular biological approaches that allow cell-specific manipulations in certain subtypes of interneurons. We build on our previous work and carry out a comprehensive study of the function of a specific class of GABA interneurons that provide dendritic inhibition and regulate hippocampal network plasticity underlying memory consolidation. Identifying and elucidating such network contributions of identified interneurons shed new light on the inhibitory control of neuronal networks in the brain at the molecular, cellular, network and system levels. These are necessary first steps in developing new approaches to tackle the important health problems associated with CNS disorders implicating memory deficits and GABAergic interneurons.