GABA—from Inhibition to Cognition: Emerging Concepts

Abstract

Neuroscience aims to elucidate the neural underpinnings of perception, cognition, and adaptive behavior. Neural functioning and plasticity can be studied on different levels of organization and complexity ranging from the molecular and synaptic level to neural circuitry of whole brain networks. Across neuroscience, different methods are being applied to better understand the role of different brain regions, networks, and neurotransmitter systems in the evolution of higher brain functions. γ-Amino-butyric acid (GABA) is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult mammalian brain, formed by the decarboxylation of glutamate, an enzyme-driven process that primarily takes place in GABAergic interneurons. This synthesis is associated with two different isoforms of the glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), GAD65 und GAD67. Both isoforms can be found in most GABAergic neurons. Whereas GAD67 is distributed throughout the cell cytoplasm, GAD65 is highly concentrated in nerve endings, as such GAD65 is critically involved in GABA synthesis targeting vesicular release (Soghomonian and Martin 1998). GABA either binds to GABA A receptors, which are chloride permeable pentameric channels, eliciting a chloride influx 734530N ROXXX10.1177/1073858417734530The NeuroscientistSchmidt-Wilcke et al.

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