NG2+ progenitor cells detect network activity like adjacent interneurons

NG2-expressing (NG2+) cells are the only glial cell type known to receive functional glutamatergic synapses, but the integration of NG2+ cells into local networks is still unknown. We performed paired recordings in postnatal mouse brain to compare the synaptic activity of hippocampal hilar interneurons with the activity of closely associated satellite NG2+ (sNG2+) progenitors, and demonstrated that both sNG2+ cells and hilar interneurons receive glutamatergic inputs from granule cells and CA3 pyramidal neurons. When theta oscillations were induced by carbachol in CA3 pyramidal neurons, synchronized synaptic even…