This study shows that the left medial habenula (MHb) in mice has functional asymmetry in fear expression, mediated by GABAB receptors, and this asymmetry is influenced by internal organ laterality.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · Aug 31, 2026Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

A two-pool mechanism of vesicle release in medial habenula terminals underlies GABAB receptor-mediated potentiation

Peter Koppensteiner, Pradeep Bhandari, Cihan Önal, Carolina Borges-Merjane, Elodie Le Monnier, Yukihiro Nakamura, Tetsushi Sadakata, Makoto Sanbo, Masumi Hirabayashi, Nils Brose, Péter Jónás, Ryuichi Shigemoto

The paper identifies a two-pool mechanism in medial habenula terminals where GABAB receptor activation increases the readily releasable pool and alters vesicle coupling distances.

bioRxiv · Oct 28, 2022 · PreprintNeuroscience

GABAB receptor auxiliary subunits modulate Cav2.3-mediated release from medial habenula terminals

Pradeep Bhandari, David H. F. Vandael, Diego Fernández‐Fernández, Thorsten Fritzius, David Kleindienst, Cihan Önal, Jacqueline Montanaro, Martin Gassmann, Péter Jónás, Ákos Kulik, Bernhard Bettler, Ryuichi Shigemoto, Peter Koppensteiner

The paper investigates how GABAB receptor auxiliary subunits modulate Cav2.3-mediated neurotransmitter release in medial habenula terminals, revealing their role in synaptic strength regulation.

eLife · Apr 29, 2021Peer-reviewedNeuroscience