Unitary GABAergic volume transmission from individual interneurons to astrocytes in the cerebral cortex.

Communication between individual GABAergic cells and their target neurons is mediated by synapses and, in the case of neurogliaform cells (NGFCs), by unitary volume transmission. Effects of non-synaptic volume transmission might involve non-neuronal targets, and astrocytes not receiving GABAergic synapses but expressing GABA receptors are suitable for evaluating this hypothesis. Testing several cortical interneuron types in slices of the rat cerebral cortex, we show selective unitary transmission from NGFCs to astrocytes with an early, GABAA receptor and GABA transporter-mediated component and a late component that results from the activation of GABA transporters and neuronal GABAB receptors. We could not detect Ca2+ influx in astrocytes associated with unitary GABAergic responses. Our experiments identify a presynaptic cell-type-specific, GABA-mediated communication pathway from individual neurons to astrocytes, assigning a role for unitary volume transmission in the control of ionic and neurotransmitter homeostasis.