Restoring auditory cortex plasticity in adult mice by restricting thalamic adenosine signaling

Reopening a critical period Young brains, compared with adult brains, are plastic. This phenomenon has given rise to the concept of critical periods, during which acquisition of certain skills is optimal. In mice, an auditory critical period is only open in early postnatal days. The youthful brain tunes circuits to sounds in its environment in a way that the adult brain does not. This facility may form the basis for childhood language acquisition in humans. Blundon et al. show that by manipulating adenosine signaling in mice, some plasticity of the adult auditory cortex can be regained (see the Perspective by Kehayas and Holmaat). Disruption of adenosine production or adenosine receptor signaling in adult mice leads to improved tone discrimination abilities. Science , this issue p. 1352 ; see also p. 1335