Abstract
The lateral mobility of neurotransmitter receptors has been shown to tune synaptic signals. Here we report that GABAA receptors (GABAARs) can diffuse between adjacent dendritic GABAergic synapses in long-living desensitized states, thus laterally spreading "activation memories" between inhibitory synapses. Glutamatergic activity limits this inter-synaptic diffusion by trapping GABAARs at excitatory synapses. This novel form of activity-dependent hetero-synaptic interplay is likely to modulate dendritic synaptic signaling.
Keywords:
GABAA receptors; excitatory synapses; inhibitory synapses; intracellular calcium; lateral diffusion; optogenetics; scaffold proteins; single particle tracking; synaptic crosstalk; uncaging.