Genetics and Function of Neocortical GABAergic Interneurons in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Figure 1

Interneuron diversity. Interneurons are diverse in terms of their histochemical profile, morphology, physiological properties, and connectivity. In this schematic representation, parvalbumin-positive (PV) interneurons (red) include basket cells forming perisomatic contacts on adjacent pyramidal cells (dark blue), as well as chandelier cells that target the pyramidal cell axon initial segment. Somatostatin-positive (SST) interneurons include Martinotti cells that contact pyramidal cell dendrites in layer I. Vasointestinal peptide (VIP) and calretinin (CR) double-positive bitufted interneurons target pyramidal cells and other interneurons. Neurogliaform cells, marked with reelin, are the most abundant interneurons in layer I and provide tonic GABAergic inhibition via volume transmission of GABA.