Serotonin improves sociability in mouse model of autism
As group leader Toru Takumi explains, "Although abnormalities in the serotonin system have been thought to be part of the ASD pathophysiology, the functional impact of serotonin deficiency in ASD was totally unknown. Our work shows that early serotonergic intervention rescues regional excitatory/inhibitory abnormalities in the brain as well as behavioral abnormalities." Although the causes and symptoms of ASD are varied , many people with ASD have too many genomic mutations. Previously, Takumi's group generated a mouse model of ASD by duplicating in mice one of the most frequent copy variations found in people with ASD. These mice show many behavioral symptoms of ASD, including poor social interaction and low behavioral flexibility. The model mice also have reduced levels of serotonin in the brain during development, another symptom that has been found in patients with ASD. In the newly published work, the researchers focused on this finding and examined how it affe...