Neurons are frequently classified into distinct types on the basis of structural, physiological, or genetic attributes. To better constrain the definition of neuronal cell types, we characterized the transcriptomes and intrinsic physiological properties of over 4,200 mouse visual cortical GABAergic interneurons and reconstructed the local morphologies of 517 of those neurons. We find that most transcriptomic types (t-types) occupy specific laminar positions within visual cortex, and, for most types, the cells mapping to a t-type exhibit consistent electrophysiological and morphological properties. These properties display both discrete and continuous variation among t-types. Through multimodal integrated analysis, we define 28 met-types that have congruent morphological, electrophysiological, and transcriptomic properties and robust mutual predictability. We identify layer-specific axon innervation pattern as a defining feature distinguishing different met-types. These met-types represent a unified definition of cortical GABAergic interneuron types, providing a systematic framework to capture existing knowledge and bridge future analyses across different modalities.

神经元经常根据结构、生理或遗传属性分为不同的类型。为了更好地限制神经元细胞类型的定义，我们对 4,200 多个小鼠视觉皮层 GABA 能中间神经元的转录组和内在生理特性进行了表征，并重建了其中 517 个神经元的局部形态。我们发现大多数转录组类型（t 型）占据视觉皮层内的特定层状位置，并且对于大多数类型，映射到 t 型的细胞表现出一致的电生理学和形态学特性。这些属性显示 t 类型之间的离散和连续变化。通过多模态综合分析，我们定义了 28 种具有一致的形态学、电生理学和转录组学特性以及强大的相互可预测性的met类型。我们将特定层的轴突神经支配模式确定为区分不同met类型的定义特征。这些met类型代表了皮质GABA能中间神经元类型的统一定义，提供了一个系统框架来捕获现有知识并连接未来跨不同模式的分析。