Transient cortical circuits match spontaneous and sensory-driven activity during development

At the earliest developmental stages, spontaneous activity synchronizeslocal and large-scale cortical networks. These networks form the functionaltemplate for the establishment of global thalamocortical networks andcortical architecture. The earliest connections are establishedautonomously. However, activity from the sensory periphery reshapes thesecircuits as soon as afferents reach the cortex. The early-generated, largelytransient neurons of the subplate play a key role in integrating spontaneousand sensory-driven activity. Early pathological conditions—such as hypoxia,inflammation, or exposure to pharmacological compounds—alter spontaneousactivity patterns, which subsequently induce disturbances in corticalnetwork activity. This cortical dysfunction may lead to local and globalmiswiring and, at later stages, can be associated with neurological andpsychiatric conditions.