Autism Mouse Models Share Defects in Brain Circuits

In the past year, researchers have debuted a growing number of mouse models that they say exhibit the subtle behaviors of autism. In the midst of controversy over whether these mouse models represent autism, one team of scientists is looking for quirks in the animalsʼ neural circuits.In October 2007, a high-profile report unveiled mice that carry a mutation in neuroligin-3, which has been associated with autism in people. Since then, about a dozen other models have been proposed, showcasing a grab bag of genetic mutations: some are pivotal players in the development of nerve cell axons, others in synapse formation. One mutation, PTEN, has a strong role in cancer.As the list of candidate genes for autism grows, experts estimate that at least 30 mouse models of autism will surface within the next couple of years.“With all of these models, the question now becomes: What do you do once you have the mouse?” asks neurophysiologist Tony Zador of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL).Read more at...SFARI, September 2008.