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Somatostatin-expressing neurons in cortical networks

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 17, pages 401–409 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Somatostatin-expressing GABAergic neurons constitute a major class of inhibitory neurons in the mammalian cortex and are characterized by dense wiring into the local network and high basal firing activity that persists in the absence of synaptic input. This firing provides both GABA type A receptor (GABAAR)- and GABABR-mediated inhibition that operates at fast and slow timescales. The activity of somatostatin-expressing neurons is regulated by brain state, during learning and in rewarded behaviour. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of how this class of cells can control network activity, with specific reference to how this is constrained by their anatomical and electrophysiological properties.

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Figure 1: Three-dimensional morphological reconstructions of SST interneurons in the primary somatosensory cortex of different transgenic mouse lines.
Figure 2: Regulation of SST-neuron activity during movement and sensation.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge members of the Barth laboratory for helpful comments on the manuscript, and US National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant number NS088958 and the McKnight Foundation (A.L.B.) for support.

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences and the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, 15213, Pennsylvania, USA

    Joanna Urban-Ciecko & Alison L. Barth

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Correspondence to Alison L. Barth.

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Urban-Ciecko, J., Barth, A. Somatostatin-expressing neurons in cortical networks. Nat Rev Neurosci 17, 401–409 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn.2016.53

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