Sensitive periods in which experience-driven changes in activity persistently shape circuit function are well-described in sensory cortex. Whether comparable periods govern the development of associative cortical areas, like the prefrontal cortex, remains unclear. Here, we focus on the role of activity in the maturation and circuit integration of prefrontal parvalbumin-expressing interneurons, as these cells play an essential role in sensory cortical maturation and develop in lockstep with overall prefrontal circuit function. We found that transiently decreasing prefrontal parvalbumin activity during peripubertal and adolescent development results in persistent impairments in adult functional connectivity, in vivo network function and set-shifting behavior that can be rescued by targeted activation of these interneurons in the adult animal. In contrast, comparable adult inhibition had no lasting effects. These findings identify an activity-dependent sensitive period for prefrontal parvalbumin maturation and highlight how abnormal parvalbumin activity early in life can persistently alter adult circuit function and behavior.

中文翻译：

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额叶前皮层中成熟的小白蛋白中间神经元功能需要在出生后敏感期进行活动

在感觉皮层中很好地描述了由经验驱动的活动变化持续影响电路功能的敏感时期。可比较的时期是否支配着相关的皮质区域（如额叶前皮质）的发展尚不清楚。在这里，我们集中于表达前额小白蛋白的中间神经元的成熟和回路整合中的活性作用，因为这些细胞在感觉皮质成熟中起着至关重要的作用，并与整个额前回路功能同步发展。我们发现在青春期和青春期发育过程中暂时降低前额叶小白蛋白活性会导致成年功能连接性，体内网络功能和定移行为的持续损伤，这些损伤可通过成年动物中这些中间神经元的靶向激活来挽救。相反，可比的成人抑制作用没有持久作用。这些发现确定了额叶前小白蛋白成熟的活动依赖性敏感期，并突显了生命早期异常的小白蛋白活动如何持续改变成人的回路功能和行为。