BMI Seminar // Varun Sreenivasan: Establishing E/I ratios through programmed cell death - Mechanisms and circuit function

Proper balance between excitation and inhibition (E/I balance) is critical for brain function. However, the underlying mechanisms that establish this balance remain poorly understood. Here, I will present evidence from the neocortex and the striatum which point to activity dependent input-specific mechanisms that rescue GABAergic interneurons from programmed cell death during early postnatal development. I will show that genetically altering cellular E/I ratios by preventing cell death can impact the encoding of sensory signals within cortical circuits in a task-dependent manner. Finally, I will briefly discuss the implications of these findings in the context of neurodevelopmental disorders.