Contribution of metabotropic GABAB receptors to neuronal network construction

In the 1980s, Bowery and colleagues discovered the presence of a novel, bicuculline-resistant and baclofen-sensitive type of GABA receptor on peripheral nerve terminals, the GABAB receptor. Since this pioneering work, GABAB receptors have been identified in the Central Nervous System (CNS), where they provide an important inhibitory control of postsynaptic excitability and presynaptic transmitter release. GABAB receptors have been implicated in a number of important processes in the adult brain such as the regulation of synaptic plasticity and modulation of rhythmic activity. As a result of these studies, several potential therapeutic applications of GABAB receptor ligands have been identified. Recent advances have further shown that GABAB receptors play more than a classical inhibitory role in adult neurotransmission, and can in fact function as an important developmental signal early in life. Here we summarize current knowledge on the contribution of GABAB receptors to the construction and function of developing neuronal networks.