Early postnatal development of pyramidal neurons across layers of the mouse medial prefrontal cortex

Tim Kroon*, Eline van Hugte, Lola van Linge, Huibert D. Mansvelder, Rhiannon M. Meredith

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Mammalian neocortex is a highly layered structure. Each layer is populated by distinct subtypes of principal cells that are born at different times during development. While the differences between principal cells across layers have been extensively studied, it is not known how the developmental profiles of neurons in different layers compare. Here, we provide a detailed morphological and functional characterisation of pyramidal neurons in mouse mPFC during the first postnatal month, corresponding to known critical periods for synapse and neuron formation in mouse sensory neocortex. Our data demonstrate similar maturation profiles of dendritic morphology and intrinsic properties of pyramidal neurons in both deep and superficial layers. In contrast, the balance of synaptic excitation and inhibition differs in a layer-specific pattern from one to four postnatal weeks of age. Our characterisation of the early development and maturation of pyramidal neurons in mouse mPFC not only demonstrates a comparable time course of postnatal maturation to that in other neocortical circuits, but also implies that consideration of layer- and time-specific changes in pyramidal neurons may be relevant for studies in mouse models of neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Original languageEnglish
Article number5037
Pages (from-to)1-16
Number of pages16
JournalScientific Reports
Volume9
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 25 Mar 2019

Funding

The authors would like to thank Martijn Selten for comments on a previous version of the manuscript. This work was funded by the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO/ZonMW, #917.10.372 to R.M.M.).

FundersFunder number
ZonMw
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek917.10.372

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