Npas4 regulates excitatory-inhibitory balance within neural circuits through cell-type-specific gene programs.

ABSTRACT: The nervous system adapts to experience by inducing a transcriptional program that controls important aspects of synaptic plasticity. Although the molecular mechanisms of experience-dependent plasticity are well characterized in excitatory neurons, the mechanisms that regulate this process in inhibitory neurons are only poorly understood. Here, we describe a transcriptional program that is induced by neuronal activity in inhibitory neurons. We find that, while neuronal activity induces expression of early-response transcription factors such as Npas4 in both excitatory and inhibitory neurons, Npas4 activates distinct programs of late-response genes in inhibitory and excitatory neurons. These late-response genes differentially regulate synaptic input to these two types of neurons, promoting

SUBMITTER: Spiegel I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4089405 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature