Two recent studies have elucidated the expression pattern of DAGLα in the amygdala. We initially demonstrated a significant heterogeneity in DAGLα expression within the amygdala (Patel et al., 2009). High levels of DAGLα were observed in the BA and dLA, whereas lower levels were observed in the vLA. Within the CeA, the CeAL was more heavily stained than the CeAM. In addition, ICMs were noticeably immunoreactive (Patel et al., 2009). Subsequent studies by Yoshida et al. demonstrated a similar subregional pattern (Yoshida et al., 2011). These authors also showed post-synaptic localization of DAGLα in close apposition to CCK and CB1-ir terminals forming invaginating synapses (Yoshida et al., 2011). These authors suggest that invaginating synapses on BA principal neurons are subject to robust modulation by 2-AG signaling, relative to flat (non-CB1/DAGLα-expressing) synapses.
