New test taps nose pokes as a proxy for social motivation in mice
Over one hour, a particularly motivated mouse poked its nose 350 times into a hole in the test chamber in the hopes of meeting a playmate.
Over one hour, a particularly motivated mouse poked its nose 350 times into a hole in the test chamber in the hopes of meeting a playmate.
Many genes related to the condition play a role in the internal scaffolding of cells, and cytoskeletal disruptions can affect neurodevelopment and behavior.
Neuronal alterations outside the brain may help to explain a host of the condition’s characteristic traits, including sensory changes, gut problems and motor differences.
Memories from Diering’s life trace the rising star’s scientific path from raising lizards as a child and later exploring home brewing to heading a lab that investigates memory, sleep disturbances and early development in animals with autism-linked mutations.
The method yields complex organoids that more closely mimic embryonic brain development than do those cultured in other ways.
A range of presentations at Neuroscience 2022 tie atypical social behavior to trouble discriminating between odors in the animals.
Mice missing the autism-linked SHANK2 and SHANK3 genes in their retrosplenial cortex have trouble distinguishing between novel and familiar mice.
Mice with a mutated copy of SHANK3 fail to establish normal sleep patterns during development.
Sleep disruption early in life has long-lasting consequences for mice missing a copy of the autism-linked gene SHANK3.
By breaking rodent vocalizations into parts, TrackUSF distinguishes rats with mutations in the SHANK3 gene from their wildtype counterparts.