Abstract
During the last decade, we have gained much insight into the mechanisms that open and close a sensitive period of plasticity in the visual cortex. This brings the hope that novel treatments can be developed for brain injuries requiring renewed plasticity potential and neurodevelopmental brain disorders caused by defective synaptic plasticity. One of the central mechanisms responsible for opening the sensitive period is the maturation of inhibitory innervation. Many molecular and cellular events have been identified that drive this developmental process, including signaling through BDNF and IGF-1, transcriptional control by OTX2, maturation of the extracellular matrix, and GABA-regulated inhibitory synapse formation. The mechanisms through which the development of inhibitory innervation triggers and potentially closes the sensitive period may involve plasticity of inhibitory inputs or permissive regulation of excitatory synapse plasticity. Here, we discuss the current state of knowledge in the field and open questions to be addressed.
Highlights
Many things can be learned more during childhood than in adulthood, including speaking a new language, playing an instrument, or performing a sport
Of particular interest are the findings that the development of inhibitory innervation is essential for sensitive period onset [15] and that the mature extracellular matrix [16] and epigenetic transcriptional regulation [17] are involved in sensitive period offset
The initial evidence supporting the involvement of the inhibitory system in sensitive period onset was the discovery that in mice in which GABA synthesis is reduced due to the deletion of the glutamic acid decarboxylase GAD65, no sensitive period plasticity can be induced until the moment that they are treated with the GABA(A) receptor agonist benzodiazepine [15]
Summary
Many things can be learned more during childhood than in adulthood, including speaking a new language, playing an instrument, or performing a sport. This is the consequence of how our brain develops. It seems to make sense to learn these skills in a rather permanent way when we are young so that we can take advantage of them when we are adults This is true for learning skills or facts but reflects a general property of brain development where periods of enhanced experience-dependent plasticity in different cortical and subcortical brain regions are essential for achieving functional and reliable connectivity between brain areas. Flawed plasticity may occur due to genetic deficits in plasticity mechanisms as is the case in neurodevelopmental disorders such as mental retardation or autism [4]
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