Opposing Experiences Shape Parvalbumin Interneuron Plasticity through Distinct Molecular Programs

Abstract

Life experiences profoundly influence brain function, yet how opposing experiences are encoded remains unclear. Here, we show that opposing experiences, chronic stress (CS) and voluntary running (VR), induce largely distinct molecular programs rather than a simple bidirectional modulation of a shared molecular program in parvalbumin interneurons (PVIs). PVI-specific translational profiling across frontal cortex and dorsal and ventral hippocampus reveals that experience-dependent gene expression is organized into brain region-specific architectures, which are further structured into distinct co-expression modules. We uncovered CS-induced upregulation of histone acetyltransferase KAT6A and H3K23 acetylation specifically in PVIs of the frontal cortex accompanied by altered genome-wide redistribution of acetylated H3K23, including genes implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders. Targeted elevation of KAT6A in PVIs recapitulates CS-induced morphological and behavioral alterations. Together, our findings reveal that opposing experiences engage distinct and region-specific molecular programs in PVIs and identify a stress-responsive epigenetic pathway underlying inhibitory circuit plasticity.