Investigating Effects of Enzymatic Degradation of Perineuronal Nets on Behavioral Flexibility
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: As key modulators of neural plasticity, perineuronal nets (PNNs) are thought to play a role in behavioral flexibility. However, the relationship between PNNs and its effects on an individual’s ability to exhibit behavioral flexibility remains largely unresolved. In this project, I test how enzymatic degradation of PNNs in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) of male and female Sprague-Dawley Rats impacts behavioral flexibility. I collected and analyzed data from their performance in an Attentional Set-Shifting Task (ASST), providing direct insights into how PNNs can alter behavioral flexibility of typical rats. I hypothesized that enzymatic degradation of PNNs using Chondroitinase ABC (ChABC) will induce an interval of neuroplasticity that disrupts local circuitry in the OFC, impacting behavioral flexibility. <!-- notionvc: faecc8d9-5c0e-4c48-8314-767338382849 -->
Source: UNC Libraries
DOI: 10.17615/8f21-ed88
Author: Gopakumar,Maya
Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Language: English
Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204936088
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