The role of GABAergic interneurons in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) it is still unclear. Although it was recognized that they are essential for spatial maps and memory, the study of GABAergic interneurons in the MEC has remained scarce. Whilst it is well accepted that interneurons control network synchrony and oscillatory activity, it is widely held that they lack the precision of feature coding. Thus, in the hippocampus and MEC, interneurons exhibit poor spatial tuning in comparison to place cells or grid cells for instance. However, in complex environments, interneurons do exhibit feature coding (Caputi et al., 2022). In our lab, we seek to better understand the underlying cellular and network mechanisms. Furthermore, we want to identify mechanisms, possibly interneuron-specific, enabling reconfiguration of GABAergic networks during learning. We seek to identify molecular candidates that support interneuron plasticity; one such molecular player is connexin 36 that is expressed specifically in GABAergic cells and supports gap junction-mediated communication among interneurons of the adult cortex.
Funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
(DFG, German Research Foundation)
TRR 384/1 2024, 514483642
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