The brain undergoes constant changes during development and adolescence. Early adulthood is a common time for the onset of neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. The dopamine system, which is essential for clear thinking and decision-making, begins to malfunction at this stage of development. Researchers at the University of Rochester’s Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience are moving closer to identifying a potential target for the treatment of neuropsychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and autism during this critical period of development, which can affect brain circuitry throughout adulthood.
“Brain development is a long process, and many neuronal systems have critical windows — when brain regions are flexible and go through the final maturation phase,” said Ryan Stowell, a postdoctoral fellow in the Wang lab at the Medical University of Rochester, PhD, the center of the research and co-first author in the journal eLife. .
“By identifying these windows, we can target interventions during this period and possibly alter the course of a disease by rescuing the structural and behavioral deficits caused by these disorders.” The researchers targeted low-performing neurons in the dopamine system connecting the frontal cortex of mice.
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This circuitry is essential in higher cognitive processing and decision making. They found that stimulating the cells that supply dopamine to the frontal cortex strengthens this circuit and rescues the structural deficits in the brain that cause long-term symptoms. Previous research from the Wang lab identified that this particular arm of the dopamine system was flexible in adolescent brains but not in adults.
This recent research has used this window for plasticity in the system as an opportunity for therapeutic intervention. “These findings suggest that increased activity in dopaminergic circuitry during adolescence can rescue existing deficits in the circuit, and that this effect may be long-lasting as these changes continue into adulthood,” Stowell said.
“If we can target the right windows of development and understand the signals at play, we can develop treatments that change the course of these brain disorders.”
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