Montagni Elena, Ambrosone Manuel, Martello Alessandra, Curti Lorenzo, Polverini Federica, Baroncelli Laura, Mannaioni Guido, Pavone Francesco Saverio, Masi Alessio, Allegra Mascaro Anna Letizia
Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy.
European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
Transl Psychiatry. 2025 Apr 19;15(1):154. doi: 10.1038/s41398-025-03377-5.
Growing evidence points to brain network dysfunction as a central neurobiological basis for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). As a result, studies on Functional Connectivity (FC) have become pivotal for understanding the large-scale network alterations associated with ASD. Despite ASD being a neurodevelopmental disorder, and FC being significantly influenced by the brain state, existing FC studies in mouse models predominantly focus on adult subjects under anesthesia. The differential impact of anesthesia and age on cortical functional networks in ASD subjects remains unexplored. To fill this gap, we conducted a longitudinal evaluation of FC across three brain states and three ages in the Shank3b mouse model of autism. We utilized wide-field calcium imaging to monitor cortical activity in Shank3b and Shank3b mice from late development (P45) through adulthood (P90), and isoflurane anesthesia to manipulate the brain state. Our findings reveal that network hyperconnectivity, emerging from the barrel-field cortices during the juvenile stage, progressively expands to encompass the entire dorsal cortex in adult Shank3b mice. Notably, the severity of FC imbalance is highly dependent on the brain state: global network alterations are more pronounced in the awake state and are strongly reduced under anesthesia. These results underscore the crucial role of anesthesia in detecting autism-related FC alterations and identify a significant network of early cortical dysfunction associated with autism. This network represents a potential target for non-invasive translational treatments.
越来越多的证据表明,脑网络功能障碍是自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)的核心神经生物学基础。因此,对功能连接(FC)的研究对于理解与ASD相关的大规模网络改变至关重要。尽管ASD是一种神经发育障碍,且FC受脑状态的显著影响,但现有小鼠模型中的FC研究主要集中在麻醉状态下的成年个体。麻醉和年龄对ASD受试者皮质功能网络的不同影响仍未得到探索。为了填补这一空白,我们在自闭症的Shank3b小鼠模型中,对三种脑状态和三个年龄段的FC进行了纵向评估。我们利用宽场钙成像技术,监测从发育后期(P45)到成年期(P90)的Shank3b和野生型小鼠的皮质活动,并使用异氟烷麻醉来控制脑状态。我们的研究结果表明,在幼年阶段从桶状皮质出现的网络过度连接,在成年Shank3b小鼠中逐渐扩展到整个背侧皮质。值得注意的是,FC失衡的严重程度高度依赖于脑状态:全局网络改变在清醒状态下更为明显,而在麻醉状态下则大幅减少。这些结果强调了麻醉在检测自闭症相关FC改变中的关键作用,并确定了一个与自闭症相关的早期皮质功能障碍的重要网络。该网络代表了非侵入性转化治疗的潜在靶点。
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