Aims: L-DOPA-induced dyskinesias (LID) cause disability in Parkinson’s disease patients undergoing L-DOPA treatment. It is known that maladaptive plastic changes in both pre-and post-synaptic components of striatal network contribute to LID. However, the possible role of perineuronal nets (PNN), a member of the tetrapartite synaptic unit, is still elusive. We aimed to investigate alterations in PNN structure mainly encapsulating parvalbumin positive interneurons (PV-IN) in a rat model of LID.Methods: 6-OHDA toxin-injected hemiparkinsonian, sham-operated, and naïve Wistar male rats received either distilled water or L-DOPA/benserazide (25/6.25 mg/kg) for 15 days. Thereafter, abnormal involuntary movements were scored and brain sections were immunostained for WFA (Wisteria Floribunda agglutinin) and PV expression. The captured confocal microscope images from the dorsolateral, dorsomedial, and ventral striatum were analyzed for both WFA+ and PV+ cell densities.Results: In the dorsolateral striatum, the total number of WFA+, PV+ and WFA+/PV+ cell densities decreased in denervated animals, while after levodopa treatment this seemed to be normalized with a further increase in PV+ cell density in LID group compared to hemiparkinsonian group (p<0.05). Interestingly, in the LID group a subgroup of WFA-/PV+ cells were higher than in the naïve and parkinsonism groups (p<0.05). There were no significant differences between groups in the dorsomedial and ventral striatum.Conclusions: These results demonstrate that in denervated striatum PV-IN centered microcircuits becomes susceptible to plasticity changes by reduction in PNN and PV expression. After L-DOPA treatment, attempts to restrict plasticity results in a maladaptive state with a behavioral correlate of LID.