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Gal A, Raykin E, Giladi S, Lederman D, Kofman O, Golan HM. Temporal dynamics of isolation calls emitted by pups in environmental and genetic mouse models of autism spectrum disorder. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1274039. [PMID: 37942134 PMCID: PMC10629105 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1274039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Environmental and genetic factors contribute to the increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, including deficits in the development of social communication. In the mouse, ultrasonic vocalizations emitted by the pup stimulate maternal retrieval and potentiate maternal care. Therefore, isolation induced ultrasonic vocalization emitted by pups provides a means to evaluate deficits in communication during early development, before other ways of communication are apparent. Previous studies in our labs showed that gestational exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) and the Methylenetetrahydrofolate (Mthfr)-knock-out mice are associated with impaired social preference, restricted or repetitive behavior and altered spectral properties of pups' ultrasonic vocalization. In this study, we explore the temporal dynamics of pups' vocalization in these Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) models. Methods We utilized the maternal potentiation protocol and analyzed the time course of pup vocalizations following isolation from the nest. Two models of ASD were studied: gestational exposure to the pesticide CPF and the Mthfr-knock-out mice. Results Vocalization emitted by pups of both ASD models were dynamically modified in quantity and spectral structure within each session and between the two isolation sessions. The first isolation session was characterized by a buildup of call quantity and significant effects of USV spectral structure variables, and the second isolation session was characterized by enhanced calls and vocalization time, but minute effect on USV properties. Moreover, in both models we described an increased usage of harmonic calls with time during the isolation sessions. Discussion Communication between two or more individuals requires an interplay between the two sides and depends on the response and the time since the stimulus. As such, the presence of dynamic changes in vocalization structure in the control pups, and the alteration observed in the pups of the ASD models, suggest impaired regulation of vocalization associated with the environmental and genetic factors. Last, we propose that temporal dynamics of ultrasonic vocalization communication should be considered in future analysis in rodent models of ASD to maximize the sensitivity of the study of vocalizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayelet Gal
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Eynav Raykin
- Psychology Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Shaked Giladi
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Dror Lederman
- Faculty of Engineering, Holon Institute of Technology Holon, Holon, Israel
| | - Ora Kofman
- Psychology Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Hava M. Golan
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
- National Center for Autism Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
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Sterling ML, Teunisse R, Englitz B. Rodent ultrasonic vocal interaction resolved with millimeter precision using hybrid beamforming. eLife 2023; 12:e86126. [PMID: 37493217 PMCID: PMC10522333 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) fulfill an important role in communication and navigation in many species. Because of their social and affective significance, rodent USVs are increasingly used as a behavioral measure in neurodevelopmental and neurolinguistic research. Reliably attributing USVs to their emitter during close interactions has emerged as a difficult, key challenge. If addressed, all subsequent analyses gain substantial confidence. We present a hybrid ultrasonic tracking system, Hybrid Vocalization Localizer (HyVL), that synergistically integrates a high-resolution acoustic camera with high-quality ultrasonic microphones. HyVL is the first to achieve millimeter precision (~3.4-4.8 mm, 91% assigned) in localizing USVs, ~3× better than other systems, approaching the physical limits (mouse snout ~10 mm). We analyze mouse courtship interactions and demonstrate that males and females vocalize in starkly different relative spatial positions, and that the fraction of female vocalizations has likely been overestimated previously due to imprecise localization. Further, we find that when two male mice interact with one female, one of the males takes a dominant role in the interaction both in terms of the vocalization rate and the location relative to the female. HyVL substantially improves the precision with which social communication between rodents can be studied. It is also affordable, open-source, easy to set up, can be integrated with existing setups, and reduces the required number of experiments and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max L Sterling
- Computational Neuroscience Lab, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Visual Neuroscience Lab, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboudumc, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Ruben Teunisse
- Computational Neuroscience Lab, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Bernhard Englitz
- Computational Neuroscience Lab, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
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3
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Xu X, He B, Zeng J, Yin J, Wang X, Luo X, Liang C, Luo S, Yan H, Xiong S, Tan Z, Lv D, Dai Z, Lin Z, Lin J, Ye X, Chen R, Li Y, Wang Y, Chen W, Luo Z, Li K, Ma G. Genetic variations in DOCK4 contribute to schizophrenia susceptibility in a Chinese cohort: A genetic neuroimaging study. Behav Brain Res 2023; 443:114353. [PMID: 36822513 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emerging evidence suggests that the DOCK4 gene increases susceptibility to schizophrenia. However, no study has hitherto repeated this association in Chinese, and further investigated the relationship between DOCK4 and clinical symptoms in schizophrenic patients using clinical scales and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). METHODS In this study, we genotyped three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs2074127, rs2217262, and rs2074130) within the DOCK4 gene using a case-control design (including 1289 healthy controls and 1351 patients with schizophrenia). 55 first-episode schizophrenia (FES) patients and 59 healthy participants were divided by the genotypes of rs2074130 into CC and CT+TT groups. We further investigated the association with clinical symptoms and neural characteristics (brain activation/connectivity and nodal network metrics). RESULTS Our results showed significant associations between all selected SNPs and schizophrenia (all P < 0.05). In patients, letter fluency and motor speed scores of T allele carriers were significantly higher than the CC group (all P < 0.05). Interestingly, greater brain activity, functional connectivity, and betweenness centrality (BC) in language processing and motor coordination were also observed in the corresponding brain zones in patients with the T allele based on a two-way ANCOVA model. Moreover, a potential positive correlation was found between brain activity/connectivity of these brain regions and verbal fluency and motor speed. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that the DOCK4 gene may contribute to the onset of schizophrenia and lead to language processing and motor coordination dysfunction in this patient population from China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xusan Xu
- Institute of Neurology, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China; Maternal and Children's Health Research Institute, Shunde Maternal and Children's Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Shunde 528300, China
| | - Bin He
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China
| | - Jieqing Zeng
- Institute of Neurology, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China; Maternal and Children's Health Research Institute, Shunde Maternal and Children's Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Shunde 528300, China
| | - Jingwen Yin
- Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China
| | - Xiaoxia Wang
- Institute of Neurology, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China; Institute of Neurology, Longjiang Hospital, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Shunde 528300, China
| | - Xudong Luo
- Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China
| | - Chunmei Liang
- Institute of Neurology, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China
| | - Shucun Luo
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China
| | - Haifeng Yan
- Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China
| | - Susu Xiong
- Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China
| | - Zhi Tan
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China
| | - Dong Lv
- Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China
| | - Zhun Dai
- Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China
| | - Zhixiong Lin
- Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China
| | - Juda Lin
- Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China
| | - Xiaoqing Ye
- Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China
| | - Riling Chen
- Maternal and Children's Health Research Institute, Shunde Maternal and Children's Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Shunde 528300, China
| | - You Li
- Institute of Neurology, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China
| | - Yajun Wang
- Maternal and Children's Health Research Institute, Shunde Maternal and Children's Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Shunde 528300, China
| | - Wubiao Chen
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China
| | - Zebin Luo
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China.
| | - Keshen Li
- Clinical Neuroscience Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510623, China.
| | - Guoda Ma
- Institute of Neurology, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, China; Maternal and Children's Health Research Institute, Shunde Maternal and Children's Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Shunde 528300, China.
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Guo D, Yang X, Gao M, Chen X, Tang Y, Shen L, Li K, Shi L. Deficiency of Autism-Related Gene Dock4 Leads to Impaired Spatial Memory and Hippocampal Function in Mice at Late Middle Age. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2023; 43:1129-1146. [PMID: 35635601 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-022-01233-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that lasts lifelong and causes noticeably higher premature mortality. Although the core symptoms and other behavioral deficits of ASD can persist or be deteriorated from early development to old age, how aging affects the behaviors and brain anatomy in ASD is largely unknown. DOCK4 is an ASD risk gene highly expressed in the hippocampus, and Dock4 knockout (KO) mice display ASD-like behaviors in adulthood (4- to 6-month-old). In this study, we evaluated the behavioral and hippocampal pathological changes of late-middle-aged (15- to 17-month-old) Dock4 male KO mice. Aged Dock4 KO mice continuously showed similar social deficit, elevated anxiety, and disrupted object location memory as observed in the adulthood, when compared to their wild-type (WT) littermates. Notably, Dock4 KO mice displayed an age-related decline of hippocampal dependent spatial memory, showing decreased spatial memory in Barnes maze than their WT littermates at late middle age. Morphological analysis from WT and Dock4 KO littermates revealed that Dock4 deficiency led to decreased mature neurons and oligodendrocytes but increased astrocytes in the hippocampus of late-middle-aged mice. Together, we report that ASD-like behaviors mostly persist into late-middle age in Dock4 KO mice, with specific alterations of spatial memory and hippocampal anatomy by age, thus providing new evidence for understanding age differences in behavioral deficits of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daji Guo
- Clinical Neuroscience Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China.
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China.
- Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China.
| | - Xiaoman Yang
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
| | - Ming Gao
- Clinical Neuroscience Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
- Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaoqing Chen
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
| | - Yanping Tang
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
| | - Lingling Shen
- Clinical Neuroscience Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
- Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
| | - Keshen Li
- Clinical Neuroscience Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China.
- Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China.
| | - Lei Shi
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China.
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Ma X, Li L, Li Z, Huang Z, Yang Y, Liu P, Guo D, Li Y, Wu T, Luo R, Xu J, Ye W, Jiang B, Shi L. eEF2 in the prefrontal cortex promotes excitatory synaptic transmission and social novelty behavior. EMBO Rep 2022; 23:e54543. [PMID: 35993189 PMCID: PMC9535807 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202154543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Regulation of mRNA translation is essential for brain development and function. Translation elongation factor eEF2 acts as a molecular hub orchestrating various synaptic signals to protein synthesis control and participates in hippocampus-dependent cognitive functions. However, whether eEF2 regulates other behaviors in different brain regions has been unknown. Here, we construct a line of Eef2 heterozygous (HET) mice, which show a reduction in eEF2 and protein synthesis mainly in excitatory neurons of the prefrontal cortex. The mice also show lower spine density, reduced excitability, and AMPAR-mediated synaptic transmission in pyramidal neurons of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). While HET mice exhibit normal learning and memory, they show defective social behavior and elevated anxiety. Knockdown of Eef2 in excitatory neurons of the mPFC specifically is sufficient to impair social novelty preference. Either chemogenetic activation of excitatory neurons in the mPFC or mPFC local infusion of the AMPAR potentiator PF-4778574 corrects the social novelty deficit of HET mice. Collectively, we identify a novel role for eEF2 in promoting prefrontal AMPAR-mediated synaptic transmission underlying social novelty behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuanyue Ma
- JNU‐HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of PharmacyJinan UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Liuren Li
- JNU‐HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of PharmacyJinan UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Ziming Li
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of MedicineSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Zhengyi Huang
- JNU‐HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of PharmacyJinan UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Yaorong Yang
- JNU‐HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of PharmacyJinan UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Peng Liu
- JNU‐HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of PharmacyJinan UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Daji Guo
- JNU‐HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of PharmacyJinan UniversityGuangzhouChina
- Clinical Neuroscience InstituteThe First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Yueyao Li
- JNU‐HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of PharmacyJinan UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Tianying Wu
- JNU‐HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of PharmacyJinan UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Ruixiang Luo
- JNU‐HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of PharmacyJinan UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Junyu Xu
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Rehabilitation of the Children's HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
| | - Wen‐Cai Ye
- JNU‐HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of PharmacyJinan UniversityGuangzhouChina
- Center for Bioactive Natural Molecules and Innovative Drugs Research, College of PharmacyJinan UniversityGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drugs Research, College of PharmacyJinan UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Bin Jiang
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of MedicineSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Lei Shi
- JNU‐HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of PharmacyJinan UniversityGuangzhouChina
- Center for Bioactive Natural Molecules and Innovative Drugs Research, College of PharmacyJinan UniversityGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drugs Research, College of PharmacyJinan UniversityGuangzhouChina
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6
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Huang Y, Yang Y, Zhao Y, Guo D, Chen L, Shi L, Xu G. DOCK4 regulates ghrelin production in gastric X/A-like cells. J Endocrinol Invest 2022; 45:1447-1454. [PMID: 35302184 DOI: 10.1007/s40618-022-01785-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Ghrelin, a gastric hormone, provides a hunger signal to the central nervous system to stimulate food intake. Ghrelin also modulates neuroinflammatory and apoptotic processes. Dedicator of cytokinesis 4 (DOCK4), a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), is involved in the regulation of neuronal polarization and axon regeneration. However, the effect of DOCK4 on ghrelin production has not been explored. METHODS The expression of DOCK4 in human and mouse stomach was examined by immunohistochemical staining. The synthesis and secretion of ghrelin in Dock4 null mice were evaluated by real-time quantitative PCR, Western blot and ELISA. The effects of DOCK4 on ghrelin production in mHypoE-42 cells were measured by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot. RESULTS We showed that DOCK4 was expressed in both human and mouse gastric ghrelin cells. The mRNA and protein levels of gastric ghrelin, as well as ghrelin secretion, were remarkably diminished in Dock4 null mice. Furthermore, we showed that overexpression of Dock4 significantly stimulated ghrelin expression, while siRNA knockdown of endogenous Dock4 resulted in a marked decrease of ghrelin in mHypoE-N42 cells. CONCLUSIONS Our results identify DOCK4 as a critical regulator for ghrelin production in gastric X/A-like cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Huang
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
| | - Y Yang
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Y Zhao
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
| | - D Guo
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - L Chen
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
| | - L Shi
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
| | - G Xu
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China.
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7
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Shekel I, Giladi S, Raykin E, Weiner M, Chalifa-Caspi V, Lederman D, Kofman O, Golan HM. Isolation-Induced Ultrasonic Vocalization in Environmental and Genetic Mice Models of Autism. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:769670. [PMID: 34880723 PMCID: PMC8645772 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.769670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies in rodent models suggest that calls emitted by isolated pups serve as an early behavioral manifestation of communication deficits and autistic like behavior. Previous studies in our labs showed that gestational exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) and the Mthfr-knock-out mice are associated with impaired social preference and restricted or repetitive behavior. To extend these studies, we examine how pup communication via ultrasonic vocalizations is altered in these ASD models. We implemented an unsupervised hierarchical clustering method based on the spectral properties of the syllables in order to exploit syllable classification to homogeneous categories while avoiding over-categorization. Comparative exploration of the spectral and temporal aspects of syllables emitted by pups in two ASD models point to the following: (1) Most clusters showed a significant effect of the ASD factor on the start and end frequencies and bandwidth and (2) The highest percent change due to the ASD factor was on the bandwidth and duration. In addition, we found sex differences in the spectral and temporal properties of the calls in both control groups as well as an interaction between sex and the gene/environment factor. Considering the basal differences in the characteristics of syllables emitted by pups of the C57Bl/6 and Balb/c strains used as a background in the two models, we suggest that the above spectral-temporal parameters start frequency, bandwidth, and duration are the most sensitive USV features that may represent developmental changes in ASD models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itay Shekel
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel.,Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel
| | - Shaked Giladi
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel
| | - Eynav Raykin
- Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel.,Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel
| | - May Weiner
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel
| | - Vered Chalifa-Caspi
- Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel
| | - Dror Lederman
- Faculty of Engineering, Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel
| | - Ora Kofman
- Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel.,Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel
| | - Hava M Golan
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel.,Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel.,National Center for Autism Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel
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