Social isolation suppresses actin dynamics and synaptic plasticity through ADF/cofilin inactivation in the developing rat barrel cortex

• Published in: Scientific reports 2017-08, Vol.7 (1), p.8471-10, Article 8471
• Main Authors: Tada, Hirobumi, Miyazaki, Tomoyuki, Takemoto, Kiwamu, Jitsuki, Susumu, Nakajima, Waki, Koide, Mayu, Yamamoto, Naoko, Taguchi, Akiko, Kawai, Honami, Komiya, Kasane, Suyama, Kumiko, Abe, Hiroki, Sano, Akane, Takahashi, Takuya
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 13/95; 14/35; 631/378/1831; 631/378/2571/2577; 631/378/2591/2592; 631/378/340; 631/378/87; 82; 9/74; Actin; Actins - physiology; Animals; Animals, Newborn - growth & development; Cofilin; Cortex (barrel); Dendritic spines; Destrin - physiology; Female; Humanities and Social Sciences; Inactivation; Male; Mental disorders; Microfilament Proteins - physiology; multidisciplinary; Neonates; Neurogenesis - physiology; Neuronal Plasticity - physiology; Prefrontal cortex; Prefrontal Cortex - growth & development; Prefrontal Cortex - metabolism; Propionic acid; Protein structure; Protein Transport; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors, AMPA - metabolism; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Social behavior; Social interactions; Social Isolation; Somatosensory cortex; Synaptic plasticity; α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid; α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptors
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08849-3

Exposure to a stressful environment early in life can cause psychiatric disorders by disrupting circuit formation. Actin plays central roles in regulating neuronal structure and protein trafficking. We have recently reported that neonatal isolation inactivated ADF/cofilin, the actin depolymerizing factor, resulted in a reduced actin dynamics at spines and an attenuation of synaptic α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptor delivery in the juvenile rat medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), leading to altered social behaviours. Here, we investigated the impact of neonatal social isolation in the developing rat barrel cortex. Similar to the mPFC study, we detected an increase in stable actin fraction in spines and this resulted in a decreased synaptic AMPA receptor delivery. Thus, we conclude that early life social isolation affects multiple cortical areas with common molecular changes.