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¹ Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Physiology, New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07103, USA

-Aminobutyric acid A receptor (GABA_AR)-mediated postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) were recorded from dopaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area of young rats in acute brain slices and from mechanically dissociated neurons. Low concentrations (0.1–0.3 µM) of muscimol, a selective GABA_AR agonist, increased the amplitude, and reduced the paired pulse ratio of evoked IPSCs. Moreover, muscimol increased the frequency but not the amplitude of spontaneous IPSCs (sIPSCs). These data point to a presynaptic locus of muscimol action. It is interesting that 1 µM muscimol caused an inhibition of sIPSCs, which was reversed to potentiation by the GABA_B receptor antagonist CGP52432. Isoguvacine, a selective GABA_AR agonist that belongs to a different class, mimicked the effects of muscimol on sIPSCs: it increased them at low ( 0.5 µM), and decreased them at a higher concentration (1 µM). Hence, the activation of presynaptic GABA_ARs facilitates GABA release, which is limited by presynaptic GABA_BRs. Furthermore, facilitation of sIPSCs by muscimol was eliminated in a medium containing tetrodotoxin or cadmium. It is noteworthy that sIPSC frequency was greatly increased by 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo[5,4-c]pyridin-3-ol(gaboxadol, or THIP), an agonist with preferential effects on extrasynaptic GABA_ARs containing 4 subunits, or by guvacine, a GABA transport blocker, which increases ambient GABA levels. In addition, sIPSC frequency was attenuated by furosemide, a selective antagonist of 6 subunits. Thus, the presynaptic GABA_ARs may be situated at extrasynaptic sites and may contain 4/6 subunits. Given the marked sensitivity of extrasynaptic GABA_ARs to ambient GABA, alcohols and anaesthetics, these receptors may present a critical site for regulating synaptic function in the developing brain in both physiological and pathological situations.

(Received 1 November 2006; accepted after revision 30 January 2007; first published online 15 February 2007)
Corresponding author J-H. Ye: New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, 185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ 07103, USA. Email: ye{at}umdnj.edu

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