Adolescence and the maturation of the frontal cortex in mice

The maturation of the frontal cortex occurs over adolescence and is accompanied by dramatic changes in behavior in mammalian species. This period of brain development is often viewed as a late sensitive period for learning and higher cognition and is also a moment of psychiatric vulnerability in humans. Our lab uses mouse models to access the cellular and synaptic aspects of frontal cortex maturation. I will review how cells and synapses and frontal cortex-relevant behaviors change through adolescence in mice and discuss the role of experience and pubertal hormones in these transitions.