Extensive experience-dependent refinement of cortical circuits is restricted to critical periods of plasticity early in life. The timing of these critical periods is tightly regulated by the relative levels of excitatory and inhibitory (E/I) neurotransmission during development. Genetic disruption of synaptic proteins that normally maintain E/I balance can result in severe behavioral dysfunction in neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, but the mechanisms are unclear. We propose that abnormal critical periods of sensory circuit refinement could represent a key link between E/I imbalance and the cognitive and behavioral problems in autism.
