Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder characterized by hyperexcitability in the brain. Its pathogenesis is classically associated with an imbalance of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. Calretinin (CR) is one of the three major types of calcium-binding proteins present in inhibitory GABAergic neurons. The functions of CR and its role in neural excitability are still unknown. Recent data suggest that CR neurons have diverse neurotransmitters, morphologies, distributions, and functions in different brain regions across various species. Notably, CR neurons in the hippocampus, amygdala, neocortex, and thalamus are extremely susceptible to excitotoxicity in the epileptic brain, but the causal relationship is unknown. In this review, we focus on the heterogeneous functions of CR neurons in different brain regions and their relationship with neural excitability and epilepsy. Importantly, we provide perspectives on future investigations of the role of CR neurons in epilepsy.

癫痫是一种常见的神经系统疾病，其特征是大脑过度兴奋。其发病机制通常与兴奋性和抑制性神经元的失衡有关。Calretinin (CR) 是存在于抑制性 GABA 能神经元中的三种主要类型的钙结合蛋白之一。CR 的功能及其在神经兴奋性中的作用仍然未知。最近的数据表明，CR 神经元在不同物种的不同大脑区域具有不同的神经递质、形态、分布和功能。值得注意的是，海马、杏仁核、新皮质和丘脑中的 CR 神经元对癫痫脑中的兴奋性毒性极为敏感，但因果关系尚不清楚。在本次审查中，我们关注不同脑区 CR 神经元的异质功能及其与神经兴奋性和癫痫的关系。重要的是，我们为未来研究 CR 神经元在癫痫中的作用提供了观点。