The chandelier cell, form and function

Among gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) interneurons, the chandelier cell (ChC) has captured the interest of neuroscientists for a very long time as a subtype not described by Ramon y Cajal. ChCs feature an axonal arborization that selectively innervates the axon initial segments of pyramidal cells. Recent studies involving transgenic mice have identified intriguing features of ChCs, including a remarkably specific spatial and temporal origins, their capacity to have either excitatory or inhibitory influences on pyramidal neurons, and their synaptic alterations in schizophrenia. This review explores these and other developmental and functional aspects of this fascinating cortical neuronal subtype.