A Systematic Look at Environmental Modulation and Its Impact in Brain Development
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Updated: Feb 19, 2026

Environmental Modulations of the Number of Midbrain Dopamine Neurons in Adult Mice
Published on: January 20, 2015
1Neuroscience Institute of the National Research Council (CNR), via Moruzzi 1, 56100, Pisa, Italy.
Abstract:
Several experimental procedures are currently used to investigate the impact of the environment on brain plasticity under physiological and pathological conditions. The available methodologies are aimed at obtaining global or specific reductions or intensifications of the stimuli, with initial standardization in animal models being paralleled by translational applications to humans. More procedures can be combined together or applied in series to obtain powerful experimental paradigms, and the choice of a given setting should take into account the specific genetic background, age, and phenotypic vulnerabilities of the target subjects. Sophisticated use of environmental manipulations can increase our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying experience-dependent plasticity, opening the way for new therapies for neurodevelopmental disorders, dysfunctions of plasticity, and brain aging.
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