Rosa Cossart: Rewinding brain development to dissect cortical circuits

Rosa Cossart (Director the Institute of Mediterranean Neurobiology (INMED), INSERM Unit 1249 )

Host: James Poulet

Abstract
Development shapes adult cortical circuits in many ways, from the constraint of genetic programs to establishing the interaction between self-referenced representations and environmental signals in support of adaptive behavior. The adaptation of cortical circuits to the external world results from the modifications of self-organized circuits constrained by genetic programs, in response to activity-dependent adjustments that occur at critical turning points throughout the developmental trajectories of individual animals. Central to this process is the cortical circuit ability to differentiate between internally-generated and externally-driven inputs, a function mediated by distinct circuits. We posit that these dedicated circuits emerge through a developmental process in which the brain learns to segregate self and non-self-signals via its interactions with the body and the environment. Disruptions to this developmental trajectory, we argue, may underlie disorders like autism and schizophrenia, characterized by distorted world models. This presentation aims to unravel the emergence of functional cortical circuits over the course of development in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Through a synthesis of published and unpublished data, we highlight the dual influence of early developmental programming and ongoing interaction with environmental signals.

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