Long-term effects of early environment on the brain: Lesson from rodent models
The postnatal period is characterized by extensive neuronal plasticity, synaptic organization, and remod-eling. High neuroplasticity renders the brain sensitive to the remodeling effects induced by environmentalfactors, such as exposure to adversity, which can imprint neurochemical, neuroendocrine, morphological,and behavioral changes.Early experiences that influence developmental trajectories during maturation of the brain can have awide range of long-lasting effects, modulating stress-coping strategies in adult life and inducing vulner-ability or resilience to psychopathologies, depending on the gene × later experience interplay.Future studies will clarify how manipulation of the early environment induces these effects acting ongenetic and epigenetic factors.