Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.
Science Policy Alerts

Site Tools

  • AAAS
  • Subscribe
  • Feedback

Site Search

Search Advanced

Science 15 November 2002:
Vol. 298. no. 5597, pp. 1350 - 1351
DOI: 10.1126/science.1079446
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Perspectives

NEUROSCIENCE:
GABA Becomes Exciting

Rüdiger Köhling

It has been known for decades that epileptic seizures are caused by hyperexcitability of neurons in the brain, but what causes this hyperexcitability remains unclear. In his Perspective, Köhling explores new work (Cohen et al.) showing that inhibitory interneurons, previously believed to keep excitatory pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal region in check, can sometimes switch behavior and become excitatory leading to discharges reminiscent of epileptic activity.

The author is at the Institute of Physiology, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany. E-mail: kohling{at}uni-muenster.de

Read the Full Text


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Oral L-glutamine increases GABA levels in striatal tissue and extracellular fluid.
L. Wang, T. J. Maher, and R. J. Wurtman (2007)
FASEB J 21, 1227-1232
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Abnormal GABAA receptors from the human epileptic hippocampal subiculum microtransplanted to Xenopus oocytes.
E. Palma, G. Spinelli, G. Torchia, A. Martinez-Torres, D. Ragozzino, R. Miledi, and F. Eusebi (2005)
PNAS 102, 2514-2518
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


ADVERTISEMENT
Click Me!

To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)