Developmental social communication deficits in the Shank3 rat model of phelan-mcdermid syndrome and autism spectrum disorder.
Elizabeth L Berg, Nycole A Copping, Josef K Rivera and 11 others
PMID 29377611WHAT IT FOUND
Male Shank3 null mutant rats showed reduced response to social sound playback, less social sniffing during play, and fewer pup distress calls, while simple social approach and movement were normal.
Key findings
01Male Shank3 null mutant rats did not keep approaching the sound source after playback of pro-social 50-kHz calls, while wildtype and heterozygous males did.
02Male Shank3 null mutant rats showed less social sniffing and nose-to-anogenital sniffing during juvenile play, while rough-and-tumble play did not differ by genotype.
03Male Shank3 null mutant pups emitted fewer isolation-induced 40-kHz distress calls than wildtype pups, while body weight and core temperature did not differ.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
This was a rat model, not a human study, so it cannot show what a therapist should do with patients. The strongest deficits were seen in male null mutants, while heterozygous rats showed only trends or mixed effects. The tests were run in separate cohorts, so the same rats did not provide a complete profile across all outcomes. The three-chamber social approach test was normal, so a simple sociability screen would miss the deficits. The authors noted that a previous study using 24-hour isolation and younger rats did not find the same play differences, so testing conditions matter. Brain volume findings were minimal and included trends rather than clear differences.
Declared interests
The supplied metadata lists NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support. The text does not state author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these rat findings as evidence about human autism or therapy. The animals were genetically engineered, and the tasks were juvenile rat social play and ultrasonic vocalizations, not patient outcomes.