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Glia control experience-dependent plasticity in an olfactory critical period
Hans C Leier1, Alexander J Foden1, Darren A Jindal1
1Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, United States.
Elife
|January 30, 2025
Summary
Early life sensory experience shapes brain circuits. In fruit flies, glia prune olfactory synapses during a critical period, impacting long-term circuit function and behavior.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Sensory experience during critical developmental periods has lasting effects on neural circuits and behavior.
- The molecular mechanisms driving experience-dependent neural plasticity are not fully understood.
- Glial cells play a role in shaping neural development and plasticity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of glia in experience-dependent plasticity of the Drosophila antennal lobe during a critical developmental period.
- To define the critical period for structural and functional plasticity in the olfactory circuitry.
- To identify the molecular mechanisms by which glia mediate experience-dependent synaptic pruning.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism.
- Defined a critical period for olfactory circuit plasticity using ethyl butyrate (EB) exposure.
- Quantified changes in glomerular volume, presynapse number, and postsynaptic activity.
- Investigated the role of the engulfment receptor Draper in glial-mediated synaptic pruning using genetic loss-of-function approaches.
Main Results:
- Early-life EB exposure during a critical period (first 2 days post-eclosion) caused significant reductions in glomerular volume, presynapse number, and postsynaptic activity.
- These structural and functional changes were persistent, indicating long-term consequences of early sensory experience.
- Glial cells, specifically ensheathing glia, were shown to mediate this plasticity by upregulating Draper and phagocytosing olfactory sensory neuron presynaptic terminals.
- Loss of Draper function completely blocked the experience-dependent pruning and associated physiological changes.
Conclusions:
- A critical period exists for experience-dependent structural and functional plasticity in the Drosophila olfactory circuit.
- Phagocytic glia, utilizing the Draper receptor, actively prune synapses during this critical period in response to sensory input.
- Drosophila olfactory circuitry serves as a valuable model for dissecting the role of glia in critical period plasticity and synapse elimination.
