Functional implications of inhibitory synapse placement on signal processing in pyramidal neuron dendrites

• Main Authors: Boivin, Josiah R. (Author), Nedivi, Elly (Author)
• Other Authors: Picower Institute for Learning and Memory (Contributor), Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (Contributor), Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology (Contributor)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier BV, 2020-11-05T20:12:31Z.
• Subjects: Article
• Online Access: Get fulltext

A rich literature describes inhibitory innervation of pyramidal neurons in terms of the distinct inhibitory cell types that target the soma, axon initial segment, or dendritic arbor. Less attention has been devoted to how localization of inhibition to specific parts of the pyramidal dendritic arbor influences dendritic signal detection and integration. The effect of inhibitory inputs can vary based on their placement on dendritic spines versus shaft, their distance from the soma, and the branch order of the dendrite they inhabit. Inhibitory synapses are also structurally dynamic, and the implications of these dynamics depend on their dendritic location. Here we consider the heterogeneous roles of inhibitory synapses as defined by their strategic placement on the pyramidal cell dendritic arbor.
National Institutes of Health (Grants RO1 EY017656, RO1 EY025437, and F32 MH115441)