Gene manipulation produces common behaviors and provides model for testing drugs, expert says
MONDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists report that mutating a single gene produced mice with two of the most common autism traits, a finding they say could one day lead to the development of drugs to treat autism.Currently, there are no effective drugs to treat the disorder.
Mutating the shank3 gene led to compulsive repetitive behavior and avoidance of social interaction in the mice, apparently caused by impaired communication between brain cells, said the researchers at Duke University and the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The shank3 gene has been implicated in human autism. The study was published online March 20 in Nature
Read the rest of the article here.
Read the original abstract here.
No comments:
Post a Comment