Rodent of the Week: Is autism a disease of synaptic function?

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Rodent of the Week: Is autism a disease of synaptic function?

The synapses are areas in the brain that permit messages to travel from cell to

cell through chemicals called neurotransmitters. A study published this week

suggests that autism may caused by faulty synapses.

The new study was launched with the knowledge that some genes seem to contribute

to autism, including a gene called shank3 that is found in the synapses.

Researchers led by Guoping Feng, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences at

the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, decided to test the concept

that autism may be caused by dysfunctional synapses. By mutating just the shank3

gene, they were able to produce mice that possessed two key autism traits:

compulsive, repetitive behavior and avoidance of social interaction.