Formation of synapses in hippocampal neurons.

The hippocampus is a telencephalic structure in the limbic lobe implicated in memory processes and in certain form of pharmaco-resistant epilepsy. The neuronal cells comunicate together by the way of specialized contacts: the synapses, where synaptic vesicles fusion with the plasma membrane to deliver the neurotransmitters in front of the postsynaptic receptors.

The hippocampal neurons are a good choice to investigate the molecular mechanisms regulating the distribution of synapses, and the distribution of the proteins present in emitting neuron (pre-synaptic compartment) and the receptor neuron (post-synaptic neuron). This system has been widely used to study excitatory synapse formation, but few sudies have investigate the inhibitory synapses.

Results
We have worked on hippocampal neurons on several subjects:

• formation of GABAErgic inhibitory synapses
  Molecular & Cellular Neurosciences (2003), 23:264-278. In Brief Download pdf.
• discovery of a novel source of inhibition in hippocampus: the glycinergic transmission.
  Molecular & Cellular Neurosciences (2004), 27(4):394-403. In brief Download pdf.
• The development of inhibitory interneurons and establishment of GABAergic synapses in vivo.
  Hippocampus (2006) 16:1032-1060 (2006). Review. Download pdf.

see the publications list.