Investigating Effects of Enzymatic Degradation of Perineuronal Nets on Behavioral Flexibility

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 -->