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Reduction in cortical parvalbumin expression due to intermittent theta‐burst stimulation correlates with maturation of the perineuronal nets in young rats

We recently showed that intermittent theta‐burst stimulation (iTBS) using transcranial magnetic stimulation strongly reduces the number of rat neocortical interneurons expressing glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 kDa (GAD67) and parvalbumin (PV), indicating changed activity of fast‐spiking (FS) interneurons. In advance of in vitro studies intended to characterize changes in electrical properties of FS interneurons under these conditions, we tested whether the iTBS effect is age‐dependent. Conscious Sprague‐Dawley rats aged between 28 and 90 days received three blocks of iTBS at 15 min intervals. We found that iTBS‐related reduction in PV+ cells was absent up to an age of 32 days, then gradually increased, and approached a maximum of about 40% reduction at an age of about 40 days. The relative number of cells expressing PV (PV+, 8–9%) did not change with age in sham‐controls and also the increase in cortical c‐Fos expression induced by iTBS was not principally age‐dependent. However, a prominent growth of the perineuronal nets, typically surrounding the PV+ cells, exactly paralleled the increase in the iTBS effect. Based on these findings, we conclude that the functional development of the inhibitory network of PV+ interneurons with regard to intracortical synaptic connectivity is not sufficiently matured in rats younger than 35d to enable activity‐dependent modifications during iTBS. Outgrowth of the perineuronal nets and associated maturation of excitatory cortical inputs, as is characteristic for the critical cortical period, may take place before PV+ interneurons can be sufficiently activated via repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, allowing plastic changes of molecular phenotype and likely also synaptic plasticity. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 75: 1–11, 2015