Journal
TRENDS IN NEUROSCIENCES
Volume 35, Issue 6, Pages 335-344Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE LONDON
DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2012.03.005
Keywords
synapse; neurodevelopmental disorder; autism; intellectual disability; critical period; sensitive time-window
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Funding
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijke Onderzoek (NWO) [917.10.372]
- European Commission [FP7-People-ITN-2008-238055]
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Many neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are characterized by age-dependent symptom onset and regression, particularly during early postnatal periods of life. The neurobiological mechanisms preceding and underlying these developmental cognitive and behavioral impairments are, however, not clearly understood. Recent evidence using animal models for monogenic NDDs demonstrates the existence of time-regulated windows of neuronal and synaptic impairments. We propose that these developmentally-dependent impairments can be unified into a key concept: namely, time-restricted windows for impaired synaptic phenotypes exist in NDDs, akin to critical periods during normal sensory development in the brain. Existence of sensitive time-windows has significant implications for our understanding of early brain development underlying NDDs and may indicate vulnerable periods when the brain is more susceptible to current therapeutic treatments.
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