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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Neurodevelopment
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1467047

A critical period for paired-housing-dependent autistic-like behaviors attenuation in a prenatal valproic acid-induced male mouse model of autism

Provisionally accepted
Zhe Li Zhe Li 1,2*Jian-Quan Yang Jian-Quan Yang 2Bao-Qi Yin Bao-Qi Yin 2Chao-Hua Yang Chao-Hua Yang 2Miao-Miao Jiang Miao-Miao Jiang 2
  • 1 Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
  • 2 Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social communication and the presence of restrictive and repetitive behaviors. Investigating the etiological process and identifying an appropriate therapeutic target remain as formidable challenges to overcome ASD due to numerous risk factors and complex symptoms associated with the disorder.Recent studies have indicated that early rehabilitative intervention can alleviate the symptoms of individuals with ASD. However, there remain unsolved issues of behavioral intervention such as the appropriate time and types of therapies. In this study, we employed a mouse model prenatally exposed to valproic acid to establish a validated ASD mouse model and found that paired-housing with control mice for 4 week after weaning palliated sociability deficits, anxiety and repetitive behaviors in this model of ASD-like behaviors, while paired-housing with their ASD littermate did not produce this effects. Furthermore, by evaluating different time window of paired-housing, we found that paired-housing during postnatal day 21 (P21) to P35, but not P21 to P28 or P35 to P49 or P28 to P35, is a critical period for the influence of paired-housing on autistic-like behaviors. Finally, paired-housing with control mice improved the impaired GABA system in this model of ASD. So our study demonstrates the therapeutic potential of environmental intervention during a critical period in the treatment of ASD.

    Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Valproic Acid, paired-housing, critical period, gabaergic neurotransmission

    Received: 19 Jul 2024; Accepted: 13 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Li, Yang, Yin, Yang and Jiang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Zhe Li, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.