Figure 1. Connexin 36‐containing electrical synapses influence the development of inhibitory circuits in the thalamus .

A, schematic representation of the involved thalamic networks (TRN: thalamic reticular nucleus (red); relay nuclei (blue)) and their functional relationship with the cortex. Dashed boxes represent the areas at which the changes illustrated in B and C were found. B, ventrobasal (VB) neurons (blue) at relay nuclei in Cx36 KO mice exhibit reduced dendritic complexity and increased inhibitory transmission from TRN cells (depicted for illustration purposes as an increase in the number of connections). TRN projections onto VB neurons are also less divergent (not shown). C, in the absence of Cx36, electrical transmission between TRN neurons is weaker and asymmetric (right) when compared with WT animals (left).