The Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Sci Rep. 2020 Oct 19;10(1):17679. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-72891-x.
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) imitate observed behavior less than age-matched and typically developing peers, resulting in deterred learning ability and social interaction. However, this deficit lacks preclinical assessment tools. A previous study has shown that mice exhibit contagious itch behavior while viewing a scratching demonstrator mouse, as opposed to an ambulating demonstrator mouse, but whether autism mouse models imitate observed scratching behavior remains unknown. Here, we investigated contagious itch behavior in the mouse model of fragile X syndrome (FXS), a common form of inherited intellectual disabilities with a high risk for ASDs. We found that the mouse model of FXS shows deficits in contagious itch behavior. Our findings can be used as a new preclinical assessment tool for measuring imitative deficits in the study of neurodevelopmental disorders including FXS.
自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)患者的模仿行为比年龄匹配和典型发育的同龄人少,导致学习能力和社交互动受到阻碍。然而,这种缺陷缺乏临床前评估工具。先前的一项研究表明,当观看抓挠示范老鼠时,老鼠会表现出传染性瘙痒行为,而不是观看活动示范老鼠,但是自闭症老鼠模型是否模仿观察到的抓挠行为尚不清楚。在这里,我们研究了脆性 X 综合征(FXS)小鼠模型中的传染性瘙痒行为,脆性 X 综合征是一种常见的遗传性智力障碍,患自闭症的风险很高。我们发现 FXS 小鼠模型存在传染性瘙痒行为缺陷。我们的研究结果可作为一种新的临床前评估工具,用于衡量包括 FXS 在内的神经发育障碍的模仿缺陷。