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Knocking out one key gene leads to autistic traits

Hyperactivity, repetitive behavior, and language deficits all appeared in the mice.

More than 70 genes have been linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a developmental condition in which differences in the brain lead to a host of altered behaviors, including issues with language, social communication, hyperactivity, and repetitive movements. In 2018, researchers from the Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology at Rockefeller University discovered how defects in the protein produced by the gene disrupted circuitry in the cerebellum in children with neurodevelopmental conditions. One was that large neurons called Purkinje cells had a higher density of dendritic spines, structures that are spotted with the synapses that send neural signals.

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