Prefrontal parvalbumin interneurons require juvenile social experience to establish adult social behavior

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Biology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Social isolation during critical developmental periods negatively impacts brain function, particularly the prefrontal cortex (PFC).
• The neural circuits underlying social experience-dependent maturation and their role in adult social behavior remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify specific neural circuits in the dorsal-medial PFC (dmPFC) that mature based on social experience.
• To investigate the causal role of these circuits in regulating social approach behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized optogenetic and chemogenetic techniques to manipulate neuronal activity in the dmPFC.
• Recorded neuronal activation patterns of parvalbumin-positive interneurons (PVIs) in relation to social interaction bouts.
• Assessed social behavior in juvenile and adult mice subjected to social isolation or standard housing.

Main Results:

• Identified a specific activation pattern of dmPFC parvalbumin-positive interneurons (PVIs) preceding active social approach.
• Demonstrated that optogenetic activation of dmPFC-PVIs promotes active social approach and sociability.
• Showed that juvenile social isolation disrupts the maturation of dmPFC-PVIs, decoupling their activation from social approach.
• Found that chemogenetic activation of dmPFC-PVIs in adulthood can rescue social deficits caused by juvenile isolation.

Conclusions:

• Social experience during development is crucial for the maturation of dmPFC-PVI circuits.
• The maturation of dmPFC-PVI circuits is essential for the establishment of normal adult social behaviors.
• Targeting dmPFC-PVI activity offers a potential therapeutic strategy for social deficits arising from early-life adversity.