The shared requirement for activity during memory consolidation as well as the extensive physical connectivity as determined by membrane-localized GRASP strongly suggests that DPM and MB neurons are synaptically connected. Given the lack of information on the functional nature of the connections, we set out as a first step to determine what neurotransmitters are present in DPM neurons. Colocalization of mCD8-GFP expression in DPM cell bodies with staining against a panel of neurotransmitters shows that DPM neurons contain both GABA and 5HT . DPM cell bodies also
stain positively for Gad1, the GABA synthetic enzyme.