Shekel Itay, Giladi Shaked, Raykin Eynav, Weiner May, Chalifa-Caspi Vered, Lederman Dror, Kofman Ora, Golan Hava M
Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel.
Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel.
Front Neurosci. 2021 Nov 22;15:769670. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2021.769670. eCollection 2021.
Studies in rodent models suggest that calls emitted by isolated pups serve as an early behavioral manifestation of communication deficits and autistic like behavior. Previous studies in our labs showed that gestational exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) and the Mthfr-knock-out mice are associated with impaired social preference and restricted or repetitive behavior. To extend these studies, we examine how pup communication ultrasonic vocalizations is altered in these ASD models. We implemented an unsupervised hierarchical clustering method based on the spectral properties of the syllables in order to exploit syllable classification to homogeneous categories while avoiding over-categorization. Comparative exploration of the spectral and temporal aspects of syllables emitted by pups in two ASD models point to the following: (1) Most clusters showed a significant effect of the ASD factor on the start and end frequencies and bandwidth and (2) The highest percent change due to the ASD factor was on the bandwidth and duration. In addition, we found sex differences in the spectral and temporal properties of the calls in both control groups as well as an interaction between sex and the gene/environment factor. Considering the basal differences in the characteristics of syllables emitted by pups of the C57Bl/6 and Balb/c strains used as a background in the two models, we suggest that the above spectral-temporal parameters start frequency, bandwidth, and duration are the most sensitive USV features that may represent developmental changes in ASD models.
对啮齿动物模型的研究表明，孤立幼崽发出的叫声是沟通缺陷和自闭症样行为的早期行为表现。我们实验室之前的研究表明，孕期接触杀虫剂毒死蜱（CPF）以及Mthfr基因敲除小鼠与社交偏好受损以及受限或重复行为有关。为了扩展这些研究，我们研究了在这些自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）模型中幼崽交流的超声波发声是如何改变的。我们基于音节的频谱特性实施了一种无监督层次聚类方法，以便将音节分类为同质类别，同时避免过度分类。对两个ASD模型中幼崽发出的音节的频谱和时间方面进行比较探索，结果如下：（1）大多数聚类显示ASD因素对起始频率、结束频率和带宽有显著影响；（2）由于ASD因素导致的最高百分比变化出现在带宽和持续时间上。此外，我们在两个对照组中都发现叫声的频谱和时间特性存在性别差异，以及性别与基因/环境因素之间的相互作用。考虑到在两个模型中作为背景使用的C57Bl/6和Balb/c品系幼崽发出的音节特征的基础差异，我们认为上述频谱 - 时间参数，即起始频率、带宽和持续时间，是最敏感的超声波发声特征，可能代表ASD模型中的发育变化。
