Dopamine Modulation of Perisomatic and Peridendritic Inhibition in Prefrontal Cortex

• Published in: The Journal of neuroscience Vol. 23; no. 5; pp. 1622 - 1630
• Main Authors: Gao, Wen-Jun, Wang, Yun, Goldman-Rakic, Patricia S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Soc Neuroscience 01.03.2003; Society for Neuroscience
• Subjects: Action Potentials - drug effects; Action Potentials - physiology; Animals; Dendrites - physiology; Dopamine - pharmacology; Dopamine - physiology; Dopamine Agonists - pharmacology; Dopamine Antagonists - pharmacology; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Electric Stimulation - methods; Ferrets; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid - pharmacology; In Vitro Techniques; Interneurons - drug effects; Interneurons - physiology; Nerve Net - drug effects; Nerve Net - physiology; Neural Inhibition - drug effects; Neural Inhibition - physiology; Neurons - drug effects; Neurons - physiology; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Prefrontal Cortex - cytology; Prefrontal Cortex - drug effects; Prefrontal Cortex - physiology; Pyramidal Cells - drug effects; Pyramidal Cells - physiology; Synaptic Transmission - drug effects; Synaptic Transmission - physiology
• ISSN: 0270-6474; 1529-2401; 1529-2401
• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.23-05-01622.2003

The computations underlying cognitive functions are performed by a diversity of interactions between interneurons and pyramidal neurons that are subject to modulatory influences. Here we have used paired whole-cell recording to study the influence of dopamine on local inhibitory circuits involving fast-spiking (FS) and non-FS cells, respectively. We found that dopamine depressed inhibitory transmission between FS interneurons and pyramidal neurons but enhanced inhibition between non-FS interneurons and pyramidal cells. FS inhibitory transmission exhibited properties associated with presynaptic action at D 1 receptors that were not evident in non-FS inhibitory connections. In addition, FS and non-FS interneurons differed morphologically, forming contacts on the perisomatic and peridendritic domains, respectively, of their pyramidal cell targets. These findings provide evidence for both a dual mode of inhibition in prefrontal circuitry and circuit-dependent modulation by dopamine.