At The Top Of The Interneuronal Pyramid Calretinin Expressing Cortical Interneurons Nada Zecevic by Nada Zecevic, Zsófia Maglóczky, Filip Barinka instant download after payment.

Besides the population of pyramidal neurons using glutamate as a neurotransmitter, GABAergic cortical interneurons form a second, quite heterogeneous group of neurons in the mammalian cerebral cortex. It is actually well appreciated that the interneurons play various important roles in cortical neuronal networks both in normal and pathological states. Based on connectivity pattern, developmental, morphological and electrophysiological properties, distinct subgroups of GABAergic interneurons can be differentiated in the neocortex as well as in the hippocampal formation. In this Research Topic, we concentrate on the inhibitory interneurons expressing calcium-binding protein calretinin (CR). In our opinion, there are many reasons why these cells deserve our special attention.

CR expressing (CR+) interneurons differ from other interneuronal populations in their site of origin, in their significantly higher counts in cerebral cortex of primates in comparison to rodents, as well as in their connectivity pattern with high proportion of synapses formed with other interneuronal subtypes. Interestingly, they innervate dendritic inhibitory cells and therefore may play a role in the regulation of the dendritic inputs of pyramidal cells both in the neocortex and hippocampus. CR+ interneurons in the prefrontal cortex were suggested to be instrumental for formation of species-specific neocortical circuits important for cognitive functions of primates. A “gating cell” function of CR+ interneurons – switching the flow of information between two pathways – was suggested in the visual and in the perirhinal cortex. A subpopulation of CR+ interneurons is very probably involved in regulation of blood flow dynamics and energy metabolism in the cortex.

Diverse populations of cortical inhibitory interneurons are differently affected in various neurologic and psychiatric disorders. Interestingly, in comparison with other interneuronal types, CR+ interneurons seem to be less compromised in