The Sensory Striatum Is Permanently Impaired by Transient Developmental Deprivation

Abstract

Summary: Corticostriatal circuits play a fundamental role in regulating many behaviors, and their dysfunction is associated with many neurological disorders. In contrast, sensory disorders, like hearing loss (HL), are commonly linked with processing deficits at or below the level of the auditory cortex (ACx). However, HL can be accompanied by non-sensory deficits, such as learning delays, suggesting the involvement of regions downstream of ACx. Here, we show that transient developmental HL differentially affected the ACx and its downstream target, the sensory striatum. Following HL, both juvenile ACx layer 5 and striatal neurons displayed an excitatory-inhibitory imbalance and lower firing rates. After hearing was restored, adult ACx neurons recovered balanced excitatory-inhibitory synaptic gain and control-like firing rates, but striatal neuron synapses and firing properties did not recover. Thus, a brief period of abnormal cortical activity may induce cellular impairments that persist into adulthood and contribute to neurological disorders that are striatal in origin. : In many neurocognitive disorders, striatal deficits emerge slowly and correlate with the onset of neurological symptoms. Mowery et al. demonstrate that early abnormal sensory experience leads to a persistent change in striatal function despite the recovery of normal cortical output. Keywords: hearing loss, auditory cortex, dorsal striatum, medium spiny neuron, synaptic transmission, plasticity