Abstract
Inhibition is fundamental to visual function in the subcortical visual system (SVS). The inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), is the chief and often the sole neurotransmitter generating intrinsic inhibition in the SVS. Accordingly, GABA inhibition has been invoked to explain the multitude of visual functions. In this chapter, the anatomical organization and physiological processes that underlie GABAergic inhibition in the SVS are reviewed, focusing upon the cell types and synaptic circuitry that have been identified in the SVS. The physiological actions of GABA in these regions are briefly described in the chapter. There are three basic types of GABA-containing synaptic profiles in the SVS. These are relatively homogeneous and form similar synaptic circuits in most of the structures examined. GABA neurons and circuits may therefore be common to a variety of structures and species and represent a highly conserved feature of brain development.
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