Developmental changes in the brainstem driven by fragile X syndrome (FXS) -- a condition that often co-occurs with autism spectrum disorder in humans -- may underlie the hypersensitivity to sound observed in both humans and a mouse model of the disorder, according to animal research published in eNeuro .
Sarah Rotschafer and Karina Cramer studied groups of sound-processing neurons in the brainstem of mice that are genetically altered to model FXS through reduced expression of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). The researchers found reduced cell sizes in FXS mice of different ages relative to mice with typical levels of FMRP. These differences emerged in the studied cell groups at various stages of development, including very early on before the circuits supporting hearing have come online. Despite FXS being more common in males than females, the authors did not observe any sex differences in the development of the brainstem. These findings indicate a role for FMRP in the development of the auditory system, which is disrupted in this FXS mouse model.
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Article: Developmental emergence of phenotypes in the auditory brainstem nuclei of Fmr1 knockout mice
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0264-17.2017
Corresponding author:
Karina Cramer
University of California
Irvine, USA
cramerk@uci.edu
About eNeuro
eNeuro , the Society for Neuroscience's new open-access journal launched in 2014, publishes rigorous neuroscience research with double-blind peer review that masks the identity of both the authors and reviewers, minimizing the potential for implicit biases. eNeuro is distinguished by a broader scope and balanced perspective achieved by publishing negative results, failure to replicate or replication studies. New research, computational neuroscience, theories and methods are also published.
About The Society for Neuroscience
The Society for Neuroscience is the world's largest organization of scientists and physicians devoted to understanding the brain and nervous system. The nonprofit organization, founded in 1969, now has nearly 37,000 members in more than 90 countries and over 130 chapters worldwide.
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