Thanks!
One can consider the neurotransmitter used by the cell to determine inhibitory vs excitatory.
Typically, GABA neurons are inhibitory (with the exception of one cell that controls egestion) and cholinergic and glutamatergic neurons are excitatory.
Was there something more specific you wanted to know?
Steve V
Hi Steve,
Thank you very much for your input.
After I saw your name, I realized that I just read two of your papers this afternoon (both published in 2007). What a coincidence!
I am trying to kill individual neurons in a neural network, such as AIB, etc… I think the results should depend on the nature of the neuron in question, either inhibitory or stimulatory. If it is possible, could you give me more details on determining a neuron’s nature? any research paper or review paper that describes it?
Thanks!
You might want to poke around on the wormatlas, it’s a nice resource for studying the wiring diagram of the worm.
http://www.wormatlas.org/neurons/Individual%20Neurons/AIBframeset.html
Hi Kim,
Sean’s post is a great resource - the link to AIB shows that the neurotransmitter is glutamate, which makes it an excitatory neuron.
Good luck!
Steve
PS If you are looking at motor neurons, our review might be a good resource as well.
No. No. No.
Just because a given neuron makes a specific neurotransmitter doesn’t tell you whether it is excitatory or inhibitory. It all depends upon the postsynaptic cells and the receptors they express. Yes, one synapse might signal through excitatory receptors on the postsynaptic cell, but that same neuron may have other synapses that signal though inhibitory receptors on another postsynaptic cells. You can’t just say ‘glutamate is excitatory.’
In vertebrates and mammals, it’s probably the case, but not in weirdo invertebrates like C. elegans that express a bunch of different kinds of receptors. On top of that are metabotropic receptors which change things all over again.
-Kevin.
Thank you all for your discussion and posts. They are all good resources to me.
The ‘eyes’ have it then? A good example of glutamate’s sometimes fickle character is the activation/inhibition of the bipolar cells in the retina…