Development-Dependent Plasticity in Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide Neurons in the Infralimbic Cortex

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Adolescent Psychology
• Synaptic Plasticity

Background:

• Anxiety disorders often emerge during adolescence, a period marked by reduced threat extinction.
• This diminished extinction correlates with altered synaptic plasticity in the infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex (IL-mPFC).
• The precise mechanisms driving adolescent IL-mPFC plasticity remain elusive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate adolescence-specific plasticity in vasoactive intestinal polypeptide expressing interneurons (VIPINs) within the IL-mPFC.
• To explore the role of VIPINs in regulating cortical plasticity during this developmental stage.

Main Methods:

• Electrophysiological recordings in male and female mice.
• Assessment of GABAergic transmission and neuronal excitability in IL-mPFC VIPINs.
• Comparison of adolescent and adult mouse brain activity.

Main Results:

• Adolescent VIPINs exhibited increased GABAergic transmission and decreased excitability.
• GABAergic transmission between VIPINs and pyramidal neurons was significantly higher in adolescent males than females.
• These changes suggest a potential role for VIPINs in adolescent IL-mPFC plasticity.

Conclusions:

• Adolescence-specific alterations in VIPINs, including increased GABAergic transmission and reduced excitability, may contribute to impaired threat extinction.
• Sex differences in VIPIN-mediated GABAergic transmission could be relevant to observed sex differences in anxiety disorders.
• VIPINs represent a potential target for understanding and treating adolescent-onset neuropsychiatric conditions.