A STRAIN of loud laboratory mice that show all the signs of having autism could help us understand the complicated genetics of this mysterious condition.
Previous studies of the BTBR strain of mice have found that they have two of the three symptoms normally used to diagnose autism in people: repetitive behaviours and decreased social interaction.
Now Maria Luisa Scattoni of the in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues have found that they also display a third trait associated with autism.
Advertisement
The researchers separated baby mice of different strains from their mothers. The pups made noises to bring mum back, rather like human babies crying. These ultrasonic calls are too high for the human ear to hear, but the researchers detected them with special microphones and split them into 10 different 鈥渇lavours鈥�.
Most mice in the study used all 10 flavours. The vocabulary of the BTBR strain, however, was limited to four flavours, including 鈥渉armonic鈥� calls that contain multiple simultaneous sounds. BTBR mice also called louder and for longer periods (PLoS ONE, ).
The team suggests these abnormal vocalisations can be likened to the third set of traits found in children with autism, who sometimes hum, grunt and squeal loudly and inappropriately. 鈥淭his is similar to what others have found in autistic infants,鈥� says Scattoni.
鈥淭hese abnormal vocalisations in mice can be likened to children with autism鈥�
If mice communicate meaningful information to each other using ultrasonic sounds, then those with abnormal calls could be used to help identify genetic and environmental causes of autism, which still remain a mystery. Epidemiologist , who studies autism at Columbia University in New York, says: 鈥淲e can begin to understand how the genetic mechanisms may all be working together.鈥�
