Published by Marco Capogna in the Journal of Physiology 589.8: 1875-1883, 2011 (PDF).
Abstract: The stratum lacunosum moleculare of the hippocampus is an area of integration that receivesinputs from extrinsic excitatory fibres including those from the entorhinal cortex, and is underthe control of several neuromodulators. A critical aspect is the presence in this hippocampal layerof specific interneurons that are likely to influence the strength and the temporal structure ofentorhinalCA1 hippocampal dynamics. I review here recent data on the physiological role ofthese interneurons. Special focus is devoted to one interneuron type, the so-called neurogliaformcell, because recent studies have defined its unusual mode of cell-to-cell communication. Neurogliaformcells mediate feedforward inhibition of CA1 pyramidal cells, form a network of cellsconnected via chemical and electrical synapses, and evoke slow inhibitory synaptic currentsmediated by GABAA and GABAB receptors. The modulation of entorhinal input by neurogliaformcells and their contribution to network theta rhythm are also discussed. I hope thatnovel information on neurogliaform cells will contribute to the ever-growing appreciation ofGABAergic cell type diversity, and will inspire neuroscientists interested not only in synapticphysiology but also in the brain's spatial representation system.