Shang Ziwei, Zhang Xiaohui
State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; School of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
J Genet Genomics. 2025 Jul 19. doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2025.07.006.
Critical periods (CPs) are defined as postnatal developmental windows during which brain circuits exhibit heightened sensitivity to altered experiences or sensory inputs, particularly during brain development in humans and animals. During the CP, experience-induced refinements of neural connections are crucial for establishing adaptive and mature brain functions, and aberrant CPs are often accompanied by many neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. Understanding neural mechanisms underlying the CP regulation is key to delineating the etiology of NDDs caused by abnormal postnatal neurodevelopment. Recent evidence from studies using innovative experimental tools has continuously revisited the inhibition-gating theory of CP to systematically elucidate the differential roles of distinct inhibitory circuits. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of classical experimental findings and emerging inhibitory-circuit regulation mechanisms of the CP, and further discuss how aberrant CP plasticity is associated with NDDs.
关键期（CPs）被定义为出生后的发育窗口，在此期间，脑回路对改变的经历或感觉输入表现出更高的敏感性，尤其是在人类和动物的大脑发育过程中。在关键期，经验诱导的神经连接细化对于建立适应性和成熟的脑功能至关重要，而异常的关键期通常伴随着许多神经发育障碍（NDDs），包括自闭症谱系障碍和精神分裂症。理解关键期调控背后的神经机制是阐明由出生后神经发育异常引起的神经发育障碍病因的关键。最近使用创新实验工具的研究证据不断重新审视关键期的抑制门控理论，以系统地阐明不同抑制回路的不同作用。在这里，我们对关键期的经典实验结果和新兴的抑制回路调节机制进行了全面综述，并进一步讨论了异常的关键期可塑性如何与神经发育障碍相关联。
