Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are extracellular matrix (ECM) chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan
(CSPG)-containing structures that surround the soma and dendrites of various mammalian …

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is characterized by improvements in higher-
order cognitive abilities and corresponding refinements of the structure and function of the …

Astrocytes sense changes in neural activity and extracellular space composition. In
response, they exert homeostatic mechanisms critical for maintaining neural circuit function …

Microglia shape the synaptic environment in health and disease, but synapses do not exist
in a vacuum. Instead, pre-and postsynaptic terminals are surrounded by extracellular matrix …

A growing number of research publications have illustrated the remarkable ability of the
brain to reorganize itself in response to various sensory experiences. A traditional view of …

A structural scaffold embedding brain cells and vasculature is known as extracellular matrix
(ECM). The physical appearance of ECM in the central nervous system (CNS) ranges from a …

The potency of the environment to shape brain function changes dramatically across the
lifespan. Neural circuits exhibit profound plasticity during early life and are later stabilized. A …

During restricted time windows of postnatal life, called critical periods, neural circuits are
highly plastic and are shaped by environmental stimuli. In several mammalian brain areas …

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with complex pathological
characteristics, whose etiology and pathogenesis are still unclear. Over the past few …

Chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans in the extracellular matrix restrict plasticity in the adult
central nervous system and their digestion with chondroitinase reactivates plasticity …