Target-specific effects of somatostatin-expressing interneurons on neocortical visual processing.

A diverse array of interneuron types regulates activity in the mammalian neocortex. Two of the most abundant are the fast-spiking, parvalbumin-positive (PV(+)) interneurons, which target the axosomatic region of pyramidal cells, and the somatostatin-positive (SOM(+)) interneurons, which target the dendrites. Recent work has focused on the influence of PV(+) and SOM(+) interneurons on pyramidal cells.

Identifying the functional role of Martinotti cells in cortical sensory processing.

Inhibitory interneurons are highly diverse, although the functional significance of their diversity is not yet well understood. This presents a barrier to understanding neural computation at the local circuit level. This review focuses on a recent study by Murayama et al.