Characterization of the effects of early social stimulation in a mouse model of autism

MARCOS CAMPOLONGO; NADIA KAZLAUSKAS; AMAICHA DEPINO

Rio de Janeiro

Congreso; 9th World Congress International Brain Research Organization; 2015

International Brain Research Organization

Autism is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by poor social interaction andcommunication and by stereotyped or restricted behaviors. Symptoms appear in early childhood andpersist in adulthood. While great strides have been made in the treatment of autism, there are still noeffective treatments for all cases and the mechanisms by which they act are unknown. In this context,several clinical studies suggest early social stimulation as the most effective treatment of autistic children,who show significant improvements in social behavior through these approaches.Our aim is to analyze the effects of early social stimulation on autism-related behavior and its consequencesin molecular and cellular pathways that could be altered in autism.It was previously shown that the mouse prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA) at gestational day 12.5results in reduced social interaction in the adult offspring. In those experiments VPA-treated mice wereweaned with other VPA mice.To evaluate the social contribution to this phenotype, VPA mice were weaned in VPA only (VPA-VPA mice) orVPA-Saline groups (VPA-Sal or Sal-VPA), containing 2-3 VPA-treated mice per cage along with 2-3 Salinetreatedmice. Mice interacted from postnatal day (P)21 to P60 in their homecage. At P60, VPA-VPA miceshowed a behavioral phenotype related to autism, but in VPA-Sal mice this phenotype was attenuated. Incontrast, social stimulation between P21 and P60 has not effects on stereotyped or restricted behaviors.Our results suggest then that alterations in social skills and repetitive patters of behavior could involvedifferent pathways.