Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are extracellular matrix (ECM) chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG)-containing structures that surround the soma and dendrites of various mammalian neuronal cell types. PNNs appear during development around the time that the critical periods for developmental plasticity end and are important for both their onset and closure. A similar structure - the perinodal ECM - surrounds the axonal nodes of Ranvier and appears as myelination is completed, acting as an ion-diffusion barrier that affects axonal conduction speed. Recent work has revealed the importance of PNNs in controlling plasticity in the CNS. Digestion, blocking or removal of PNNs influences functional recovery after a variety of CNS lesions. PNNs have further been shown to be involved in the regulation of memory and have been implicated in a number of psychiatric disorders.

Centre for Reconstructive Neuroscience Institute of Experimental Medicine Czech Academy of Sciences Prague Czech Republic

Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Okayama Japan

Department of Neuroscience Psychology Drug Research and Child Health University of Florence Florence Italy

Institute of Neuroscience Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Pisa Italy

John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair Department of Clinical Neurosciences University of Cambridge Cambridge UK

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Disruption of Extracellular Matrix and Perineuronal Nets Modulates Extracellular Space Volume and Geometry

High-Intensity Interval Training Increases Osteoarthritis-Associated Pain-Sensitive Threshold Through Reduction of Perineuronal Nets of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex in Rats

A view of the genetic and proteomic profile of extracellular matrix molecules in aging and stroke

Perineuronal nets affect memory and learning after synapse withdrawal

The extracellular matrix and perineuronal nets in memory

Oral treatment of 4-methylumbelliferone reduced perineuronal nets and improved recognition memory in mice

Chondroitin 6-sulphate is required for neuroplasticity and memory in ageing

Assessment of Possible Contributions of Hyaluronan and Proteoglycan Binding Link Protein 4 to Differential Perineuronal Net Formation at the Calyx of Held

Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

MiR-29 coordinates age-dependent plasticity brakes in the adult visual cortex

The Effect of Hapln4 Link Protein Deficiency on Extracellular Space Diffusion Parameters and Perineuronal Nets in the Auditory System During Aging