%0 Journal Article
%T Short-term ionic plasticity at GABAergic synapses
%A Joseph V. Raimondo
%A Henry Markram
%A Colin J. Akerman
%J Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience
%D 2012
%I Frontiers Media
%R 10.3389/fnsyn.2012.00005
%X Fast synaptic inhibition in the brain is mediated by the pre-synaptic release of the neurotransmitter ¦Ã-Aminobutyric acid (GABA)and the post-synaptic activation of GABA-sensitive ionotropic receptors. As with excitatory synapses, it is being increasinly appreciated that a variety of plastic processes occur at inhibitory synapses, which operate over a range of timescales. Here we examine a form of activity-dependent plasticity that is somewhat unique to GABAergic transmission. This involves short-lasting changes to the ionic driving force for the post-synaptic receptors, a process referred to as short-term ionic plasticity. These changes are directly related to the history of activity at inhibitory synapses and are influenced by a variety of factors including the location of the synapse and the post-synaptic cell's ion regulation mechanisms. We explore the processes underlying this form of plasticity, when and where it can occur, and how it is likely to impact network activity.
%K short-term ionic plasticity
%K GABA
%K chloride
%K GABAA receptors
%K synaptic transmission
%K EGABA
%K reversal potential
%K pH
%U http://www.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnsyn.2012.00005/abstract