Emerging Roles of Synapse Organizers in the Regulation of Critical Periods

Figure 1

Circuit plasticity, stability, and levels of inhibition as functions of age. Circuit functions are shaped by external experiences during the critical period, when plasticity is high. Levels of cortical inhibitory neurotransmission rise through the critical period and, once optimal function is reached, contribute to the waning of plasticity and stabilization of circuit function in adults.