%0 Journal Article
%A Zocher, Sara
%A Schilling, Susan
%A Grzyb, Anna
%A Adusumilli, Vijay S.
%A Bogado Lopes, Jadna
%A Günther, Sandra
%A Overall, Rupert
%A Winter, York
%A Kempermann, Gerd
%T Early-life environmental enrichment generates persistent individualized behavior in mice
%J Science advances
%V 6
%N 35
%@ 2375-2548
%C Washington, DC [u.a.]
%I Assoc.
%M DZNE-2020-01420
%P eabb1478
%D 2020
%X Individuals differ in their response to environmental stimuli, but the stability of individualized behaviors and their associated changes in brain plasticity are poorly understood. We developed a novel model of enriched environment to longitudinally monitor 40 inbred mice exploring 35 connected cages over periods of 3 to 6 months. We show that behavioral individuality that emerged during the first 3 months of environmental enrichment persisted when mice were withdrawn from the enriched environment for 3 additional months. Behavioral trajectories were associated with stable interindividual differences in adult hippocampal neurogenesis and persistent epigenetic effects on neuronal plasticity genes in the hippocampus. Using genome-wide DNA methylation sequencing, we show that one-third of the DNA methylation changes were maintained after withdrawal from the enriched environment. Our results suggest that, even under conditions that control genetic background and shared environment, early-life experiences result in lasting individualized changes in behavior, brain plasticity, and epigenetics.
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%2 pmc:PMC7449688
%$ pmid:32923634
%R 10.1126/sciadv.abb1478
%U https://pub.dzne.de/record/153423