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Bypassing interneurons: inhibition in neocortex

A recent paper suggests a new form of inhibitory circuit in cortex, in which a pyramidal cell directly excites the presynaptic terminal of an inhibitory interneuron, allowing the rapid and powerful inhibition of another pyramidal cell.

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Figure 1: Two pathways that might mediate inhibition between local pyramidal cells in neocortex.

Kim Caesar

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Connors, B., Cruikshank, S. Bypassing interneurons: inhibition in neocortex. Nat Neurosci 10, 808–810 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn0707-808

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