Glitches in this delicate fine tuning, called experience-dependent interneuron plasticity, can lead to hyperexcitability, seizures and cognitive impairments—all common traits in a variety of neurodevelopmental conditions. Experience-dependent interneuron plasticity occurs all over the brain, including in the somatosensory cortex and the hippocampus. Mimicking PV interneuron plasticity by removing the molecular brake on those mossy fibers in mice upregulated a set of 1,530 genes, which the researchers termed experience-dependent genes. — — Dan FeldmanThe mice also have a loss of PV interneuron plasticity, Sahay’s team found. So it’s almost as if there’s an [experience-dependent plasticity gene] code.”