Reorganization of perineuronal nets in the medial Preoptic Area during the reproductive cycle in female rats.

ABSTRACT: Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are aggregations of extracellular matrix associated with specific neuronal populations in the central nervous system, suggested to play key roles in neural development, synaptogenesis and experience-dependent synaptic plasticity. Pregnancy and lactation are characterized by a dramatic increase in neuroplasticity. However, dynamic changes in the extracellular matrix associated with maternal circuits have been mostly overlooked. We analyzed the structure of PNNs in an essential nucleus of the maternal circuit, the medial preoptic area (mPOA), during the reproductive cycle of rats, using the Wisteria floribunda (WFA) label. PNNs associated to neurons in the mPOA start to assemble halfway through gestation and become highly organized prior to parturition, fading throug

SUBMITTER: Uriarte N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7096482 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature