Adolescence and the maturation of the frontal cortex in mice - Linda Wilbrecht

Adolescence and the maturation of the frontal cortex in mice

Linda Wilbrecht, Ph.D

Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley

Host: Mark Plitt (Giocomo Lab)

Abstract

The maturation of the frontal cortex occurs over adolescence and is accompanied by dramatic changes in behavior in mammalian species. This period of brain development is often viewed as a late sensitive period for learning and higher cognition and is also a moment of psychiatric vulnerability in humans. Our lab uses mouse models to access the cellular and synaptic aspects of frontal cortex maturation. I will review how cells and synapses and frontal cortex-relevant behaviors change through adolescence in mice and discuss the role of experience and pubertal hormones in these transitions.

Curriculum Vitae

Related Papers

[1] David J. Piekarski, Josiah R. Boivin, and Linda Wilbrecht. "Ovarian Hormones Organize the Maturation of Inhibitory Neurotransmission in the Frontal Cortex at Puberty Onset in Female Mice." CellPress. June 2017, Pages 1735–1745.e3. doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.05.027

[2] Carolyn M. Johnson, Hannah Peckler, Lung-Hao Tai and Linda Wilbrecht. "Rule learning enhances structural plasticity of long-range axons in frontal cortex." Nature Communications. 7, 10785 (2016).  doi: 10.1038/ncomms10785