GABAergic Inhibition in the Cerebral Cortex

Abstract

One of the major advances in our understanding of cortical function has been the elucidation of the role of neurotransmitters and other neuroactive substances in cortical circuitry. At present, more is known of the anatomical distribution and of the physiological effects of GABA than of any other neuroactive substance. Microiontophoretic techniques, whereby minute quantities of putative transmitters, modulators, or drugs are applied to neurons, were first employed by Curtis and Eccles (1958) to study neurons in the spinal cord. This approach was subsequently employed to study the effects of GABA on cortical neurons.