AGXStarseed
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Reversing autism 'at the flick of a switch': 'Turning on' a single gene in mice has been found to reduce autistic behaviours
Just like flicking on a light switch, researchers have discovered they are able to reverse some of the behavioural symptoms associated with autism by tweaking genetic activity in mice.
In a new study, scientists have announced a major breakthrough in treating the genetic cause of the spectral condition.
They report that by switching on a single gene - found to be missing in a small proportion of people autism - they were able to reverse changes to the brain in animals with the condition.
Autism is a complex spectrum of disorders caused by numerous underlying factors, but around one per cent of cases are caused by a missing gene called Shank3.
This gene is critical in the early development of the brain and, when missing, leads to many of the symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorders, including problems with social interactions and repetitive behaviors.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that in mice lacking the gene, switching it back on later in life could reverse some of the autism-like behaviors in the animals.
According to the team, the findings show that the brain may be capable of adapting to genetic changes even after it is fully developed and can make and break connections.
It also provides hope that some of the symptoms in this subset of patients with autism could one day be reduced using a similar targeted approach.
‘This suggests that even in the adult brain we have profound plasticity to some degree,’ Professor Guoping Feng, a neuroscientist at MIT who led the study, told MIT News.
‘There is more and more evidence showing that some of the defects are indeed reversible, giving hope that we can develop treatment for autistic patients in the future.’
Shank3 produces a protein which plays a role in helping brain cells communicate with each other and helps organize other cells in the brain.
The MIT team bred mice which lacked the gene during their development.
This caused changes to how their brains were wired and resulted in behavioral changes – they were less likely to interact and showed repetitive behaviors, such as repeatedly wiping their faces.
But when Shank3 was switched back on in the adult mice, it reversed many of the behaviors.
Mice were seen to interact more with other cage mates and showed less repetitive grooming behavior.
Some of the behaviors remained, with mice still showing some anxiety as well as issues with motor skills.
But when the gene was switched on earlier, when the mice were just 20 day old, these were found to improve.
While the technique is far off from being used to treat people with this rare genetic cause of autism, the approach of identifying which brain pathways are affected could lead to new treatments for those with the spectrum condition.
'Some circuits are more plastic than others,' explained Professor Feng.
'Once we understand which circuits control each behavior and understand what exactly changed at the structural level, we can study what leads to these permanent defects, and how we can prevent them from happening.'
He added: 'It’s important in the future to identify what sub-type of neurons are defective and what genes are expressed in these neurons, so we can use them as a target without affecting the whole brain.'
The findings are published in Nature.
The latest findings follow in the wake of research that showed reversal of brain changes of mice in the womb.
Scientists in New York found that blocking signalling molecules in unborn mice restored normal brain structure in the pups.
However, unlike the previous research, the MIT team was able to reverse some of the symptoms in adult mice.
Scientists have developed a number of animal models that are helping to provide insight into how to unlock the brains of people with autism.
Mice have been the ‘go to’ animal model for a number of years, with a numbers of 'knock outs' - which have specific genes turned off - used to study the effect of individual genetic factors on the condition.
But more recently, a team in China developed transgenic monkeys which display symptoms of autism.
The 'transgenic' macaques behaved similarly to humans afflicted with autism, the team wrote -making repetitive gestures, and displaying anxiety and poor social interaction.
This meant they could serve as a reliable animal model for researching the causes of, and possible cures for, autism in humans - a feat welcomed by other specialists not involved in the study.
SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...gle-gene-mice-reduce-autistic-behaviours.html
Reversing autism 'at the flick of a switch': 'Turning on' a single gene in mice has been found to reduce autistic behaviours
- Around one per cent of people with autism lack the Shank3 gene
- Mice without the gene show repetitive behaviour and avoid interaction
- But turning on Shank3 in adult mice reversed some of these behaviours
- The findings offer hope that symptoms in this subset of patients could one day be reduced using a similar targeted approach
Just like flicking on a light switch, researchers have discovered they are able to reverse some of the behavioural symptoms associated with autism by tweaking genetic activity in mice.
In a new study, scientists have announced a major breakthrough in treating the genetic cause of the spectral condition.
They report that by switching on a single gene - found to be missing in a small proportion of people autism - they were able to reverse changes to the brain in animals with the condition.
Autism is a complex spectrum of disorders caused by numerous underlying factors, but around one per cent of cases are caused by a missing gene called Shank3.
This gene is critical in the early development of the brain and, when missing, leads to many of the symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorders, including problems with social interactions and repetitive behaviors.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that in mice lacking the gene, switching it back on later in life could reverse some of the autism-like behaviors in the animals.
According to the team, the findings show that the brain may be capable of adapting to genetic changes even after it is fully developed and can make and break connections.
It also provides hope that some of the symptoms in this subset of patients with autism could one day be reduced using a similar targeted approach.
‘This suggests that even in the adult brain we have profound plasticity to some degree,’ Professor Guoping Feng, a neuroscientist at MIT who led the study, told MIT News.
‘There is more and more evidence showing that some of the defects are indeed reversible, giving hope that we can develop treatment for autistic patients in the future.’
Shank3 produces a protein which plays a role in helping brain cells communicate with each other and helps organize other cells in the brain.
The MIT team bred mice which lacked the gene during their development.
This caused changes to how their brains were wired and resulted in behavioral changes – they were less likely to interact and showed repetitive behaviors, such as repeatedly wiping their faces.
But when Shank3 was switched back on in the adult mice, it reversed many of the behaviors.
Mice were seen to interact more with other cage mates and showed less repetitive grooming behavior.
Some of the behaviors remained, with mice still showing some anxiety as well as issues with motor skills.
But when the gene was switched on earlier, when the mice were just 20 day old, these were found to improve.
While the technique is far off from being used to treat people with this rare genetic cause of autism, the approach of identifying which brain pathways are affected could lead to new treatments for those with the spectrum condition.
'Some circuits are more plastic than others,' explained Professor Feng.
'Once we understand which circuits control each behavior and understand what exactly changed at the structural level, we can study what leads to these permanent defects, and how we can prevent them from happening.'
He added: 'It’s important in the future to identify what sub-type of neurons are defective and what genes are expressed in these neurons, so we can use them as a target without affecting the whole brain.'
The findings are published in Nature.
The latest findings follow in the wake of research that showed reversal of brain changes of mice in the womb.
Scientists in New York found that blocking signalling molecules in unborn mice restored normal brain structure in the pups.
However, unlike the previous research, the MIT team was able to reverse some of the symptoms in adult mice.
Scientists have developed a number of animal models that are helping to provide insight into how to unlock the brains of people with autism.
Mice have been the ‘go to’ animal model for a number of years, with a numbers of 'knock outs' - which have specific genes turned off - used to study the effect of individual genetic factors on the condition.
But more recently, a team in China developed transgenic monkeys which display symptoms of autism.
The 'transgenic' macaques behaved similarly to humans afflicted with autism, the team wrote -making repetitive gestures, and displaying anxiety and poor social interaction.
This meant they could serve as a reliable animal model for researching the causes of, and possible cures for, autism in humans - a feat welcomed by other specialists not involved in the study.
SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...gle-gene-mice-reduce-autistic-behaviours.html
