Developmental Plasticity of Inhibitory Circuitry

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-ix

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2. Introduction

   • Sarah L. Pallas

   Pages 3-12

3. The Origins and Specification of Cortical Interneurons

   • Asif Maroof, Stewart Anderson

   Pages 13-26

4. Role of Spontaneous Activity in the Maturation of GABAergic Synapses in Embryonic Spinal Circuits

   • Carlos E. Gonzalez-Islas, Peter Wenner

   Pages 27-39

5. Regulation of Inhibitory Synapse Function in the Developing Auditory CNS

   • Dan H. Sanes, Emma C. Sarro, Anne E. Takesian, Chiye Aoki, Vibhakar C. Kotak

   Pages 43-69

6. Developmental Plasticity of Inhibitory Receptive Field Properties in the Auditory and Visual Systems

   • Khaleel A. Razak, Zoltan M. Fuzessery, Sarah L. Pallas

   Pages 71-89

7. Postnatal Maturation and Experience-Dependent Plasticity of Inhibitory Circuits in Barrel Cortex

   • Qian-Quan Sun

   Pages 91-111

8. GABAergic Transmission and Neuronal Network Events During Hippocampal Development

   • Sampsa T. Sipilä, Kai K. Kaila

   Pages 115-136

9. Endocannabinoids and Inhibitory Synaptic Plasticity in Hippocampus and Cerebellum

   • Bradley E. Alger

   Pages 137-164

10. Interneuron Pathophysiologies: Paths to Neurodevelopmental Disorders

    • Kathie L. Eagleson, Elizabeth A. D. Hammock, Pat Levitt

    Pages 167-184

11. Back Matter

    Pages 185-190

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Neuroscience has long been focused on understanding neural plasticity in both development and adulthood. Experimental work in this area has focused almost entirely on plasticity at excitatory synapses. A growing body of evidence suggests that plasticity at inhibitory GABAergic and glycinergic synapses is of critical importance during both development and aging.

The book brings together the work of researchers investigating inhibitory plasticity at many levels of analysis and in several different preparations. This topic is of wide relevance across a number of different areas of research in neuroscience and neurology. Medical problems such as epilepsy, mental illness, drug abuse, and movement disorders can result from malfunctioning inhibitory circuits. Further, the maturation of inhibitory circuits may trigger the onset of critical periods of neural circuit plasticity, raising the possibility that such plastici periods could be reactivated for medical benefit by manipulating inhibitory circuitry.

• Cortex
• GABA
• Neurology
• Neuron
• auditory development
• developmental plasticity
• inhibition
• physiology
• synaptic plasticity
• visual development
• rehabilitation psychology

From the reviews: “For basic and clinical researchers and students in neuroscience and neurology, Pallas (neuroscience and biology, Georgia State U) brings together nine chapters that examine how inhibitory circuits are formed during development and how they are involved in plasticity of developing sensory and motor circuitry. … The book originated in a symposium on the topic at the 2006 Society for Neuroscience meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.” (SciTech Book News, June, 2010)

• Dept. Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, U.S.A.

  Sarah L. Pallas

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