1. Fazel Darbandi S, Nelson AD, Pai EL, Bender KJ, Rubenstein JLR. LiCl treatment leads to long-term restoration of spine maturation and synaptogenesis in adult Tbr1 mutants. Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders. 2022; 14(1): 11.

BACKGROUND: Tbr1 encodes a T-box transcription factor and is considered a high confidence autism spectrum disorder (ASD) gene. Tbr1 is expressed in the postmitotic excitatory neurons of the deep neocortical layers 5 and 6. Postnatally and neonatally, Tbr1 conditional mutants (CKOs) have immature dendritic spines and reduced synaptic density. However, an understanding of Tbr1’s function in the adult mouse brain remains elusive. METHODS: We used conditional mutagenesis to interrogate Tbr1’s function in cortical layers 5 and 6 of the adult mouse cortex. RESULTS: Adult Tbr1 CKO mutants have dendritic spine and synaptic deficits as well as reduced frequency of mEPSCs and mIPSCs. LiCl, a WNT signaling agonist, robustly rescues the dendritic spine maturation, synaptic defects, and excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission deficits. CONCLUSIONS: LiCl treatment could be used as a therapeutic approach for some cases of ASD with deficits in synaptic transmission.

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2. Palm CVB, Glintborg D, Find LG, Larsen PV, Dalgaard CM, Boye H, Jensen TK, Dreyer AF, Andersen MS, Bilenberg N. Prenatal Androgen Exposure and Traits of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Offspring: Odense Child Cohort. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 2022.

Fetal androgen exposure may be associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We studied 1777 mother-child pairs in the prospective Odense Child Cohort. Prenatal androgen exposure was assessed by maternal 3rd trimester testosterone concentrations, maternal polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and 3 months offspring anogenital distance. ASD traits were assessed at age 3 years with the ASD-symptom scale of the Child Behavior Checklist for ages 1½-5 years. Maternal testosterone was positively associated with traits of ASD in boys (p < 0.05). Maternal PCOS was associated with increased offspring ASD traits (p = 0.046), but became non-significant after excluding parental psychiatric diagnosis. Offspring anogenital distance was not linked to ASD traits. Higher prevalence of ASD in boys could be linked to higher susceptibility to fetal androgen exposure.

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