Dysregulation of extracellular matrix in psychiatric disorders: impact on the connectivity of inhibitory networks

The perineuronal nets (PNNs) are specialized regions of the extracellular matrix, frequently found associated to inhibitory neurons. Their appearance overlaps the maturation of neuronal circuits and the closure of critical periods in different regions of the brain, setting their connectivity and reducing abruptly their plasticity. In the presentation Dr.Nacher will review recent evidence of the impact of PNNs presence on the input and output connectivity of PV+ neurons and their physiology (Carceller et al., 2023; 2020). He will also talk about the influence of psychiatric disorders on PNNs and on the inhibitory circuits in which they are involved. For this, he will revise recent results from his laboratory on animal models involving adverse experiences, particularly in early life (Klimczak et al., 2024; Alcaide et al., 2024). Additionally, he will present results about alterations in PNNs and inhibitory networks in postmortem tissue from psychiatric patients (Alcaide et al., 2019). He will present results on cortical and subcortical regions, such as the thalamus, in which PNNs have a relevant presence. Together, all the data available point to PNNs as promising targets to understand the physiology of inhibitory circuits, and to unveil the etiopathology of certain psychiatric disorders CNS.