An Extracellular Perspective on CNS Maturation: Perineuronal Nets and the Control of Plasticity

During restricted time windows of postnatal life, called critical periods, neural circuits are highly plastic and are shaped by environmental stimuli. In several mammalian brain areas, from the cerebral cortex to the hippocampus and amygdala, the closure of the critical period is dependent on the fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of molecular sciences 2021-02, Vol.22 (5), p.2434
Main Authors: Carulli, Daniela, Verhaagen, Joost
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alzheimer’s disease
Amygdala
Animals
Brain
Brain - growth & development
Brain - physiology
Central Nervous System - growth & development
Central Nervous System - physiology
Cerebral cortex
Chondroitin sulfate
chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans
critical period
Critical Period, Psychological
Dendrites
Environmental effects
Extracellular Matrix
Humans
Hyaluronic acid
learning
Maturation
memory
Nets
Neural networks
Neuronal Plasticity
Neurons
Neuroplasticity
perineuronal net
Perineuronal nets
Plastic properties
Review
Spinal cord
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Summary:During restricted time windows of postnatal life, called critical periods, neural circuits are highly plastic and are shaped by environmental stimuli. In several mammalian brain areas, from the cerebral cortex to the hippocampus and amygdala, the closure of the critical period is dependent on the formation of perineuronal nets. Perineuronal nets are a condensed form of an extracellular matrix, which surrounds the soma and proximal dendrites of subsets of neurons, enwrapping synaptic terminals. Experimentally disrupting perineuronal nets in adult animals induces the reactivation of critical period plasticity, pointing to a role of the perineuronal net as a molecular brake on plasticity as the critical period closes. Interestingly, in the adult brain, the expression of perineuronal nets is remarkably dynamic, changing its plasticity-associated conditions, including memory processes. In this review, we aimed to address how perineuronal nets contribute to the maturation of brain circuits and the regulation of adult brain plasticity and memory processes in physiological and pathological conditions.
ISSN:1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms22052434