title: Selective Maturation of Temporal Dynamics of Intracortical Excitatory Transmission at the Critical Period Onset.
abstract: Although the developmental maturation of cortical inhibitory synapses is known to be a critical factor in gating the onset of critical period (CP) for experience-dependent cortical plasticity, how synaptic transmission dynamics of other cortical synapses are regulated during the transition to CP remains unknown. Here, by systematically examining various intracortical synapses within layer 4 of the mouse visual cortex, we demonstrate that synaptic temporal dynamics of intracortical excitatory synapses on principal cells (PCs) and inhibitory parvalbumin- or somatostatin-expressing cells are selectively regulated before the CP onset, whereas those of intracortical inhibitory synapses and long-range thalamocortical excitatory synapses remain unchanged. This selective maturation of synaptic dynamics results from a ubiquitous reduction of presynaptic release and is dependent on visual experience. These findings provide an additional essential circuit mechanism for regulating CP timing in the developing visual cortex.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Institute of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
authors.forename: Qinglong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Malte J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Rasch
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China. Electronic address: xhzhang@bnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiaohui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010320:Parvalbumins / Q000494:pharmacology; D013569:Synapses / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D010320:Parvalbumins