Researchers at the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester have discovered a possible treatment target for neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism, during critical windows of brain development. This could be key in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and autism during these pivotal developmental periods, possibly influencing the brain’s circuitry well into adulthood. “Brain development is a lengthy process, and many neuronal systems have critical windows-key times when brain areas are malleable and undergoing final maturation steps,” said Rianne Stowell, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Wang Lab at the University of Rochester Medical Center and co-first author on research out in the journal eLife. Researchers targeted underperforming neurons in the dopamine system that connect to the frontal cortex in mice. The National Institutes of Health is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. The NIH conducts its own scientific research through its Intramural Research Program and provides major biomedical research funding to non-NIH research facilities through its Extramural Research Program. With 27 different institutes and centers under its umbrella, the NIH covers a broad spectrum of health-related research, including specific diseases, population health, clinical research, and fundamental biological processes.

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