HETEROGENEITY IN PRESYNAPTIC REGULATION OF GABA RELEASE FROM HIPPOCAMPAL INHIBITORY NEURONS

Release of GABA from the terminals of hippocampal inhibitory neurons is inhibited by activation of GABA(B) autoreceptors and mu opioid receptors. However, it is not known whether these presynaptic processes affect all inhibitory synapses equally. We examined the effects of the GABA(B) receptor agonist baclofen and the mu opioid receptor agonist DAGO on postsynaptic currents evoked by minimal stimulation of inhibitory fibers (meIPSCs) in area CA3. Baclofen reversibly depressed approximately half of the meIPSCs evoked in the stratum pyramidale. The remaining meIPSCs were unaffected despite a coincident depression of spontaneous IPSCs. In contrast, all meIPSCs were depressed by DAGO. In addition, minimal stimulation in the stratum radiatum evoked meIPSCs that were always depressed by baclofen. These results indicate that regulation of GABA release by GABA(B) autoreceptors occurs at a subset of inhibitory synapses and that GABA(B)-resistant inhibitory synapses are located on pyramidal neuron somata. Hippocampal inhibitory neurons may be heterogeneous with respect to presynaptic receptor-mediated regulation of GABA release.