Our lab is unraveling the biological basis of “critical periods” – those early life windows of opportunity / vulnerability that shape perception, cognition, communication abilities and risk for mental illness.
Using state-of-the-art methods in mice, we explore the intricate dance between genes, cells, and neural circuits from sensory systems to prefrontal cortex – the command centers for attention, cognitive flexibility, preference and social behaviors.
Groundbreaking discoveries have revealed specific inhibitory circuits that orchestrate critical period timing, extracellular processes that structurally rewire neural pathways, and a variety of molecular “brakes” that actively close these periods of heightened brain plasticity.
Through close collaborations with computational modelers, or clinical experts at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Center on the Developing Child, our findings are translated into real-world applications. From novel AI algorithms to evolving best practice for pediatric care, pioneering developmental principles can be harnessed to heal, educate, and rejuvenate minds of all ages.
Sleep-sensitive dopamine receptor expression in male mice underlies attention deficits after a critical period of early adversity. Makino Y, Hodgson NW, Doenier E, Serbin AV, Osada K, Artoni P, Dickey M, Sullivan B, Potter-Dickey A, Komanchuk J, Sekhon B, Letourneau N, Ryan ND, Trauth J, Cameron JL, Hensch TK. (2024) Science Translational Medicine. 16(768):eadh9763.
Rapid synaptic and gamma rhythm signature of mouse critical period plasticity.
Quast KB, Reh RK, Caiati MD, Kopell N, McCarthy MM, Hensch TK. (2023) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 120(2):e2123182120.
Critical period regulation across multiple timescales. Reh RK, Dias BG, Nelson CA 3rd, Kaufer D, Werker JF, Kolb B, Levine JD, Hensch TK. (2020) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 117(38):23242-23251.
Inhibitory circuit gating of auditory critical-period plasticity. Takesian AE, Bogart LJ, Lichtman JW, Hensch TK. (2018) Nature Neurosci. 21(2):218-227.
Clock genes control cortical critical period timing. Kobayashi Y, Ye Z, Hensch TK. (2015) Neuron. 86(1):264-75.
Critical periods in speech perception: new directions. Werker JF, Hensch TK. (2015) Annu Rev Psychol. 66:173-96.
Lynx1, a cholinergic brake, limits plasticity in adult visual cortex. Morishita H, Miwa JM, Heintz N, Hensch TK. (2010) Science. 330(6008):1238-40.
Experience-dependent transfer of Otx2 homeoprotein into the visual cortex activates postnatal plasticity. Sugiyama S, Di Nardo AA, Aizawa S, Matsuo I, Volovitch M, Prochiantz A, Hensch TK. (2008) Cell. 134(3):508-20
