Synaptic number changes in the medial prefrontal cortex across adolescence in male and female rats: a role for pubertal onset
Open accessAbstract
Adolescence is a unique period of development, marked by maturation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a region important for executive functioning. During this time, the human PFC decreases in overall volume and thickness. Likewise in adolescent rodents, losses of neurons, dendrites, dendritic spines and neurotransmitter receptors have been documented within the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), sometimes with sex and layer specificity. However, changes in the number of synapses during this time have not been examined. In the present study, we stereologically quantified the number of synaptophysin-immunoreactive boutons in the male and female rat mPFC across multiple time points from the juvenile period through adulthood (postnatal days (P) 25, 35, 45, 60 and 90). In females, there was a significant decrease in synaptophysin boutons between P35 and P45, coinciding with the onset of puberty. In males, there was no significant main effect of age on synaptophysin boutons; however, in both males and females, pubertal onset was associated with significant synaptic losses. These results suggest that puberty is a critical period for synaptic pruning within the rat mPFC, potentially contributing to maturation of adolescent executive function. Synapse 70:361-368, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Steroid hormones alter brain development during puberty.
“Steroid hormones alter brain development during puberty (23, 25, 27)”
From Sexual differentiation of neural mechanisms of stress sensitivity during puberty (2023) · cites this paper as [25]
The Discussion reports synaptic losses associated with pubertal onset in the medial prefrontal cortex of male and female rats and suggests a role for gonadal hormones. It does not establish that steroid hormones cause those changes, or that the finding extends to brain development generally. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredGonadal hormones shape brain structure, function, and gene expression networks that could influence stress responses.
“Although the cause of these differences is unknown, other studies show that gonadal hormones shape brain structure (23–26), function (27), and gene expression networks (28) that could influence stress responses.”
From Sexual differentiation of neural mechanisms of stress sensitivity during puberty (2023) · cites this paper as [25]
The age range in which pubertal milestones are reached is a time of decline in prefrontal cortex synapse density.
“Again, the age range in which pubertal milestones are reached is a time of decline in prefrontal cortex synapse density (Anderson et al., 1995; Bourgeois et al., 1994; Drzewiecki et al., 2016; Gourley et al., 2012; Koss et al., 2014).”
From Does puberty mark a transition in sensitive periods for plasticity in the associative neocortex? (2017) · cites this paper as Drzewiecki et al., 2016
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- Authors
- Drzewiecki, C. M., Willing, J., & Juraska, J. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- Corresponding author
- Juraska, Janice M.
- Venue
- Synapse
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2016-06-10
- Volume
- 70
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 361-368
- ISSN
- 0887-4476 (ISSN-L)
- 1098-2396
- PMC
- PMC4945496
- OpenAlex
- W2344328763
- Cited by
- 168
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 7
- FWCI
- 9.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Synapse (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (NIHMH099625, T32 ES007326)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Keywords
- medial prefrontal cortex, synaptic pruning, synaptophysin, synapse number, puberty, puberty onset, adolescence, sex differences, postnatal development, executive function
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Female, Male, Sex Factors, Synaptophysin, Prefrontal Cortex, Presynaptic Terminals, Rats, Long-Evans, Dendritic Spines, Rats, Neurogenesis
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