COLD
SPRING HARBOR, N.Y., July 1, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Not everything in the brain is meant to last. As
our brains assemble, trillions of neural connections have to be
built or torn down at the right time and place. Otherwise, the
seeds of disorders like autism can take root. Cold Spring Harbor
Laboratory Assistant Professor Gabrielle Pouchelon studies how
the brain is wired early in life. In doing so, she hopes to find
the origins of various brain dysfunctions and new ways to treat
them.
In a new study, Pouchelon and her team zero in on a process
known as pruning. This is when the brain removes unnecessary
connections between neurons. The pruning of long-lasting
connections is relatively well-known. Pouchelon's team focuses on
special early connections that get cut to make way for long-lasting
circuits in the mature brain. Though temporary, these early
connections may play a critical role in shaping developing brain
circuits.
Pouchelon's lab has now discovered that a receptor protein named
mGluR1 helps regulate the timing of these temporary connections in
the mouse brain. Her team found that without mGluR1, neural
connections stick around too long in the brain region that controls
and processes touch via the whiskers. When the sensory circuit
fails to mature properly, the mice demonstrate atypical behaviors.
For example, they don't stand on their hind legs and sniff around
the way other mice do.
Importantly, the team notes that this critical step in circuit
development occurs during the first week after birth. "The way the
receptor works seems to be different than what has been described
in adulthood," Pouchelon says. She explains:
"In the context of neurodevelopmental disorders, that means when
we try to target developmental defects, we could have a totally
different therapeutic effect at different stages during
development."
Pouchelon's team hopes their discovery may serve as a guide for
designing future therapeutics to treat brain dysfunction early.
"The brain is a wonderful machine whose job is to adapt," says
Dimitri Dumontier, the postdoc in
Pouchelon's lab who co-led this study. "So, when you study
neurodevelopmental disorders in adults or even teenagers, it is
difficult to identify which mechanisms are causing the symptoms.
That is why understanding early milestones of brain development is
key."
The hope is that by figuring out exactly how the brain matures,
scientists can rescue this process early. This could help prevent
symptoms of neurological disorders like autism from showing up
in the first place. After all, the world is difficult enough to
navigate as is. Pouchelon and Dumontier's work could someday help
make life easier for countless young people.
About Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Founded in 1890, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has shaped
contemporary biomedical research and education with programs in
cancer, neuroscience, plant biology and quantitative biology. Home
to eight Nobel Prize winners, the private, not-for-profit
Laboratory employs 1,000 people including 600 scientists, students
and technicians. For more information, visit www.cshl.edu
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SOURCE Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory