Endocannabinoid-mediated rescue of somatosensory cortex activity, plasticity and related behaviors following an early-life concussion in male mice
Abstract
Due to the assumed plasticity of the immature brain, early-life brain alterations are thought to lead to better recoveries in comparison to the mature brain. Despite clinical needs, how neuronal networks and associated behaviors are affected by early-life brain stresses, such as pediatric concussions, have been overlooked. Here we provide first evidence in male mice that a single early-life concussion durably increases neuronal activity in the somatosensory cortex into adulthood, disrupting neuronal integration while the animal is performing sensory-related tasks. This represents a clinically relevant mechanism that was previously unappreciated for understanding impairment of sensory-related behavior performance. We also demonstrate that pharmacological modulation of the endocannabinoid system a year post-concussion is well-suited to rescue neuronal activity and plasticity, and normalizes sensory-related behavioral performance. These findings identify persistent alterations in cortical sensory processing following early-life concussion and demonstrate that neuronal and behavioral deficits remain amenable to pharmacological intervention long after injury.
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BibTeX
@article{badaut2026endocannabinoidmediated,
title = {{Endocannabinoid-mediated rescue of somatosensory cortex activity, plasticity and related behaviors following an early-life concussion in male mice}},
author = {Jérôme BADAUT and Lea HIPPAUF and Mathilde MALINCONI and Brenda P. NOARBE and Andre OBENAUS and Christophe J. DUBOIS},
journal = {Nature Communications},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-77767-8},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-77767-8},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Endocannabinoid-mediated rescue of somatosensory cortex activity, plasticity and related behaviors following an early-life concussion in male mice
AU - Jérôme BADAUT
AU - Lea HIPPAUF
AU - Mathilde MALINCONI
AU - Brenda P. NOARBE
AU - Andre OBENAUS
AU - Christophe J. DUBOIS
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/03
JO - Nature Communications
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-77767-8
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-77767-8
AB - Due to the assumed plasticity of the immature brain, early-life brain alterations are thought to lead to better recoveries in comparison to the mature brain. Despite clinical needs, how neuronal networks and associated behaviors are affected by early-life brain stresses, such as pediatric concussions, have been overlooked. Here we provide first evidence in male mice that a single early-life concussion durably increases neuronal activity in the somatosensory cortex into adulthood, disrupting neuronal integration while the animal is performing sensory-related tasks. This represents a clinically relevant mechanism that was previously unappreciated for understanding impairment of sensory-related behavior performance. We also demonstrate that pharmacological modulation of the endocannabinoid system a year post-concussion is well-suited to rescue neuronal activity and plasticity, and normalizes sensory-related behavioral performance. These findings identify persistent alterations in cortical sensory processing following early-life concussion and demonstrate that neuronal and behavioral deficits remain amenable to pharmacological intervention long after injury.
SN - 2041-1723
ER -