Cross-fostering in rodents causes region-specific alterations in entorhinal cortical gamma rhythms associated with NMDA receptor dysfunction

ABSTRACTThere has recently been a large increase in the number of children placed in foster care in the United States and Europe. While this is ‘the least worst scenario’ for those with a lack of appropriate biological care, it is recognised that these children are exposed to major stressors correlated with behavioural changes, particularly in the realm of social cognition into adulthood. Here we model foster care in rodents: rat pups are removed from their biological mother and placed with a non-genetically related dam. This prevented the entorhinal cortex from generating patterns of gamma rhythms required for normal parahippocampal function relevant to social interaction. These changes correlated with a reduction in NMDA receptor-mediated excitation, and changes in parvalbumin expression in interneurons. These data suggest that early life care delivered by a non-biological parent may disrupt social behaviour but, in contrast, generate neurobiological changes antagonistic to those currently associated with psychosis.Significance StatementCross fostering is an effective approach for delineating the effect of environment from genetic influences upon behavior. This involves removal of pups from one mother and transfer to another lactating dam. This manipulation is considered as a mild form of early life stress, producing neurobehavioral changes such as alterations in social interaction. We demonstrate that cross fostering produces changes in the ability of cortical microcircuits to generate oscillatory rhythms, in particular the gamma rhythm, in brain regions important for social cognition. This reduction in gamma rhythmogenesis is related to a reduction in synaptic drive provided by the NMDA receptor. One implication of this work is that the modulation of NMDA receptors offers a potential therapeutic strategy for disorders involving impaired sociability.