A critical period plasticity framework for the sensorimotor–association axis of cortical neurodevelopment

Bart Larsen, Valerie J. Sydnor, Arielle S. Keller, B. T.Thomas Yeo, Theodore D. Satterthwaite

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

To understand human brain development it is necessary to describe not only the spatiotemporal patterns of neurodevelopment but also the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie them. Human neuroimaging studies have provided evidence for a hierarchical sensorimotor-to-association (S–A) axis of cortical neurodevelopment. Understanding the biological mechanisms that underlie this program of development using traditional neuroimaging approaches has been challenging. Animal models have been used to identify periods of enhanced experience-dependent plasticity – 'critical periods' – that progress along cortical hierarchies and are governed by a conserved set of neurobiological mechanisms that promote and then restrict plasticity. In this review we hypothesize that the S–A axis of cortical development in humans is partly driven by the cascading maturation of critical period plasticity mechanisms. We then describe how recent advances in in vivo neuroimaging approaches provide a promising path toward testing this hypothesis by linking signals derived from non-invasive imaging to critical period mechanisms.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)847-862
Number of pages16
JournalTrends in Neurosciences
Volume46
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2023
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
B.L. was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) ( K99MH127293 , R00MH127293 ). T.D.S. was supported by the NIH ( R01MH112847 , R01AG076832 , R01EB022573 , R37MH125829 , R01MH120482 , RF1MH116920 ). V.J.S. was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship ( DGE-1845298 ). A.S.K. was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the NIH ( 5T32NS091006-08 ). B.T.T.Y. was supported by a Singapore National Research Foundation (NRF) Fellowship (Class of 2017), the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine ( NUHSRO/2020/124/TMR/LOA ), the Singapore National Medical Research Council (NMRC) LCG ( OFLCG19May-0035 ), NMRC STaR ( STaR20nov-0003 ), and the NIH ( R01MH120080 ).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s)

Keywords

  • adolescence
  • chemogenetic fMRI
  • excitation
  • inhibition
  • neuroplasticity
  • pharmacological fMRI

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Journal Article
  • Review
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

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