Intraglomerular inhibition: signaling mechanisms of an olfactory microcircuit

Microcircuits composed of principal neuron and interneuron dendrites have an important role in shaping the representation of sensory information in the olfactory bulb. Here we establish the physiological features governing synaptic signaling in dendrodendritic microcircuits of olfactory bulb glomeruli. We show that dendritic gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) release from periglomerular neurons mediates inhibition of principal tufted cells, retrograde inhibition of sensory input and lateral signaling onto neighboring periglomerular cells. We find that L-type dendritic Ca2+ spikes in periglomerular cells underlie dendrodendritic transmission by depolarizing periglomerular dendrites and activating P/Q type channels that trigger GABA release. Ca2+ spikes in periglomerular cells are evoked by powerful excitatory inputs from a single principal cell, and glutamate release from the dendrites of single principal neurons activates a large ensemble of periglomerular cells.