IMPACT OF EARLY-LIFE SENSORY EXPERIENCES ON THE SHAPING OF CORTICAL CIRCUITS

Memories are thought to be encoded through the formation and modification of synaptic connections between neurons. This connectivity reaches an exceptional level of complexity in the mammalian cerebral cortex, where experience-dependent plasticity provides neural circuits with the flexibility required for adapting to new environments, thus contributing to the neural basis of learning. Interneurons have a remarkable capability to sense changes in sensory experience and are in a unique position to orchestrate circuit remodeling.
Our research aims to unravel the mechanisms by which enhanced sensory experiences during development shape cortical circuitries, influencing long-term behavioural performance. To do so, we are investigating the cellular and molecular basis of the changes induced in inhibitory circuits in the mouse somatosensory cortex upon exposure to an enriched environment paradigm during the early stages of postnatal development. We have found that enhanced early sensory experience remodels Parvalbumin interneurons wiring and impacts behavioural performance in adulthood in a texture discrimination task. Ongoing investigations are focusing on deciphering the molecular mechanisms driving this effect.