Search bioRxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/125674

Abnormal Social Behaviors And Dysfunction Of Autism-Related Genes Associated With Daily Agonistic Interactions In Mice

Kudryavtseva, N. N.·Kovalenko, I. L.·Smagin, D. A.·Galyamina, A. G.·Babenko, V. N.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

BackgroundThe ability of people to communicate with each other is a necessary component of social behavior and the normal development of individuals who live in a community. An apparent decline in sociability may be the result of a negative social environment or the development of affective and neurological disorders, including autistic spectrum disorders. The behavior of these humans may be characterized by the deterioration of socialization, low communication, and repetitive and restricted behaviors. This study aimed to analyze changes in the social behaviors of male mice induced by daily agonistic interactions and investigate the involvement of genes, related with autistic spectrum disorders in the process of the impairment of social behaviors.\n\nMethodsAbnormal social behavior is induced by repeated experiences of aggression accompanied by wins (winners) or chronic social defeats (losers) in daily agonistic interactions in male mice. The collected brain regions (the midbrain raphe nuclei, ventral tegmental area, striatum, hippocampus, and hypothalamus) were sequenced at JSC Genoanalytica (http://genoanalytica.ru/, Moscow, Russia). The Cufflinks program was used to estimate the gene expression levels. Bioinformatic methods were used for the analysis of differentially expressed genes in male mice.\n\nResultsThe losers exhibited an avoidance of social contacts toward unfamiliar conspecific, immobility and low communication on neutral territory. The winners demonstrated aggression and hyperactivity in this condition. The exploratory activity (rearing) and approaching behavior time towards the partner were decreased, and the number of episodes of repetitive self-grooming behavior was increased in both social groups. These symptoms were similar to the symptoms observed in animal models of autistic spectrum disorders. In an analysis of the RNA-Seq database of the whole transcriptome in the brain regions of the winners and losers, we identified changes in the expression of the following genes, which are associated with autism in humans: Tph2, Maoa, Slc6a4, Htr7,Gabrb3, Nrxn1, Nrxn2, Nlgn1, Nlgn2, Nlgn3, Shank2, Shank3, Fmr1, Ube3a, Pten, Cntn3, Foxp2, Oxtr, Reln, Cadps2, Pcdh10, Ctnnd2, En2, Arx, Auts2, Mecp2, and Ptchd1.Common and specific changes in the expression of these genes in different brain regions were identified in the winners and losers.\n\nConclusionsThis research demonstrates for the first time that abnormalities in social behaviors that develop under a negative social environment in adults may be associated with alterations in expression of genes, related with autism in the brain.

Explore related subjects

neurosciencePreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Kudryavtseva, N. N., Kovalenko, I. L., Smagin, D. A., Galyamina, A. G., Babenko, V. N.. 2017-04-08. Abnormal Social Behaviors And Dysfunction Of Autism-Related Genes Associated With Daily Agonistic Interactions In Mice. https://doi.org/10.1101/125674

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Novel Tau Interaction Partners as Potential Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Alzheimers disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder leading to cognitive decline and ultimately death. One of the main hallmarks of this disease is the accumulation of pathological tau protein into neurofibrillary tangles. To better understand these pathological mechanisms, it is essential to characterize the tau protein interactome in health and disease. In this study, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screening using a human brain cDNA library, from which we identified 15 novel tau-interacting proteins that bind to full-length human tau, or its fragments: the N-terminus, microtubule-binding domain, or C-terminus. We subsequently validated these novel interactions using in vitro co-immunoprecipitation and colocalization assays with both physiological and pathological tau isoforms. Furthermore, their interactions with the human tau protein were analyzed using surface plasmon resonance. Finally, an in silico interactome analysis of these newly discovered tau-binding partners revealed several additional interactors that can link them to downstream processes critical to neurodegenerative pathways Our findings offer fresh insights into tau biology and highlight novel targets for therapeutic intervention and biomarker development.

neuroscience↗
bioRxiv2026

Early visual cortex is not functionally necessary for temporal attention: A TMS study

Temporal attention enhances the selective processing of information at a specific point in time and improves perception. Previous neuroimaging studies investigating its neural mechanisms have either conflated temporal attention with temporal expectation or provided correlational evidence. Thus, whether early visual cortex is functionally necessary for temporal attention remains unknown. Here, we combined psychophysics with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to examine whether V1/V2 are functionally necessary and play a causal role in temporal attention. Observers performed an orientation-discrimination task in which two consecutive stimuli, T1 and T2, were presented in the periphery, preceded by a precue providing either valid or neutral temporal information. Double-pulse TMS was delivered under four conditions: at T1 (T1-TMS), at T2 (T2-TMS), at both T1 and T2 (both-TMS), or not at all (none-TMS), to assess its effects on temporal attention and the efficacy of the stimulation was verified by pupil size analysis. Behavioral results revealed robust temporal attention benefits on d', reaction time, and the Balanced Integration Score (BIS) across all four TMS conditions, indicating that the benefits of temporal attention were unaffected by occipital TMS. Furthermore, pupil dilation was largest in the both-TMS condition, followed by the T1-TMS and T2-TMS conditions, and smallest in the none-TMS condition, providing physiological verification of the stimulation protocol. Together, these findings reveal the first causal evidence that the early visual cortex is not functionally necessary for endogenous temporal attention.

neuroscience↗
bioRxiv2026

Disentanglement of persistent and dynamic neural substrates of working memory

Competing theories of working memory have alternatively emphasized the importance of persistent and dynamic substrates of this cognitive function. Here, we directly tested these theories by computationally isolating the contributions of persistent and dynamic activity to working memory. We analyzed neuronal population activity recordings in macaques doing match/non-match working memory tasks. We first extracted signatures of persistent and dynamic activity through cue-specific temporal means, temporal principal components, and correlations of activity patterns across task epochs. We then generated synthetic data constrained by these signatures, and decoded cue stimuli from these data, separately from persistent and non-persistent neurons. We found that high decoding performance arose from a nuanced interplay of persistent and dynamic activity. Specifically, we could decode stimuli at empirical or above-chance levels across all tasks only from persistent neurons, but only after constraining correlations of activity patterns across epochs. In this way, we showed distinct roles for persistent and dynamic neuronal activity that help to unify two competing theories of working memory. More broadly, we also advanced computational controlled experiments as a principled framework for adjudicating between competing models of neuronal population activity.

neuroscience↗