SHANK2 Mouse Models Show Opposite Brain Signaling

Two new strains of mice carrying different mutations in the SHANK2 gene show similar autism-like behaviors but opposing effects on brain signaling, according to two independent studies published 14 June in Nature.SHANK2 encodes a protein that supports synapses, the junctions between neurons. Deletions in the gene have been identified in a handful of individuals who have autism or intellectual disability. Several other synaptic proteins, such as the related SHANK3 and neuroligins and neurexins, have also been linked to autism.One of the strains, developed by Korean researchers, has lower-than-normal activity at so-called NMDA receptors, triggered by the neurotransmitter glutamate. Drugs that boost NMDA signaling restore these animals’ social behaviors but not their repetitive behaviors or hyperactivity, the researchers found.The second strain, first published online in April by Tobias Boeckers and various collaborators across Europe, shows an increase in signaling at NMDA receptors.Read more at...SFARI, June 2012.