Molecular Mechanisms in the Assembly of a Presynaptic Inhibitory Microcircuit

JULIA KALTSCHMIDT, MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER

The regulation of information flow by local inhibitory microcircuits has a fundamental role in shaping animal behavior. In the mammalian spinal cord GABAergic inhibitory interneurons serve key functions in sensory-motor transformation. One class of GABAergic interneurons, termed GABApre neurons, forms axo-axonic synapses with the terminals of proprioceptive sensory afferents and exerts an inhibitory constraint on sensory processing. We are using the GABApre interneuron circuitry to understand (i) how distinct neuronal populations are generated, (ii) how these distinct neuronal populations recognize and choose their correct synaptic partners from among different available targets, and (iii) how postsynaptic signals induce the differentiation of presynaptic terminals in service of balanced microcircuit function.

April 9th, 2015 at 12:15 PM in Clark Center Seminar Room S360

Hosted by:

Ben Barres, Professor of Neurobiology, Developmental Biology, and Neurology, Stanford University

Pre-Seminar April 6th, 2015 at 12:15 PM in Clark S361