13A small subset of interneurons that are generated earliest as pioneer neurons are the 14 first cohort of neurons that enter the neocortex. However, it remains largely unclear 15 whether these early-generated interneurons (EGIns) predominantly regulate 16 neocortical circuit formation. Using inducible genetic fate mapping to selectively 17 labeled EGIns and pseudo-random interneurons (pRIns), we found that EGIns 18 exhibited more mature electrophysiological and morphological properties and higher 19 synaptic connectivity than pRIns at early postnatal stages. In addition, when 20 stimulating one cell, the proportion of EGIns that influence spontaneous network 21 synchronization is significantly higher than that of pRIns. Importantly, toxin-mediated 22 ablation of EGIns after birth significantly reduce spontaneous network 23 synchronization and decrease inhibitory synaptic transmission during the first 24 postnatal week. These results suggest that EGIns can shape developing networks and 25 may contribute to the refinement of neuronal connectivity before the establishment of 26 the adult neuronal circuit. 27 . 4 autism (Cobos et al., 2005;Lewis et al., 2005;Pizzarelli and Cherubini, 2011). 48 However, whether this specific subpopulation of interneurons can precisely regulate 49 neocortical circuit development remains largely unknown. 50The generation of neocortical interneurons begins at embryonic day (E) 9.5, peaks at 51 E12 to E15 and ends at E18.5 in mice (Batista-Brito and Fishell, 2009; Miyoshi et al., 52 2010 Miyoshi et al., 52 , 2007. Each temporal cohort exhibits specific physiological properties based on 53 their birthdate and has distinct functional roles in the neocortex (Butt et al., 2005; 54 Donato et al., 2015). Among these temporal cohorts, accumulating evidence suggests 55 that the earliest generated cohort is a unique subpopulation of interneurons (Allene et 56 al., 2012; Picardo et al., 2011;Tuncdemir et al., 2016; Villette et al., 2016). Based 57 on the preferential attachment rule that early emerging individuals in a network have a 58 strong "first-mover advantage" (Barabási and Albert, 1999), it has long been 59 postulated that early-generated interneurons (EGIns) may develop a subpopulation of 60 functional hub neurons and play a key role in regulating neural development, neuronal 61 network dynamics and circuit formation. Indeed, genetic fate mapping studies have 62shown that a subpopulation of EGIns in the developing hippocampus and entorhinal 63 cortex displays high functional connectivity and serves as functional hub cells by 64 exerting a powerful effect on network synchronization at the end of the first postnatal 65week (Bonifazi et al., 2009;Cossart, 2014;Mòdol et al., 2017; Picardo et al., 2011). 66In addition, GABAergic hub neurons are characterized by an exceptionally 67 5 widespread axonal arborization and preferentially express somatostatin (Cossart, 2014; 68 Mòdol et al., 2017; Picardo et al., 2011). While these pioneering studies provided 69 crucial insights into...