{
  "id": 2256144,
  "title": "Cold-acclimation, not motor inactivity, attenuates GABA signaling in the respiratory network of bullfrogs in response to overwintering",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/cold-acclimation-not-motor-inactivity-attenuates-gaba-signaling-in",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-20T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.17.745239v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Neural circuits maintain consistent activity even after environmental changes due to a process called homeostatic plasticity, where neurons adapt to disruptions. Bullfrogs hibernate underwater during winter, halting lung ventilation, but resume breathing when temperatures rise again. This resumption is attributed to compensatory neural mechanisms, including increased excitatory synaptic transmission on motoneurons. However, it is unclear whether lack of activity or exposure to cold temperatures drives other compensatory changes. Research has shown that GABAA receptor activity, crucial for respiratory rhythm generation, is reduced following overwintering, enhancing network excitability. To understand the effects of cold temperature acclimation and inactivity on reduced GABAergic signaling during overwintering, researchers have isolated these factors' individual impacts. The findings reveal that cold temperature, rather than lack of activity, reduces GABAA signaling in the respiratory rhythm generating network, without affecting GABAA transmission onto motoneurons. This suggests that cold temperature acclimation selectively reduces GABAergic signaling in inter-neuronal rhythm generating circuits, while inactivity strengthens excitatory motoneuron synapses during hibernation.",
  "summary": "Neural circuits produce reliable activity even after environmental disturbances. This occurs because neurons respond to perturbations in a compensatory manner, a process termed homeostatic plasticity. Bullfrogs undergo prolonged periods underwater during winter, when lung ventilation and its neural control system ceases activity, but air-breathing resumes unscathed when environmental temperatures…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}