Cited by 375Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorAutism Spectrum Disorder ResearchGenetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Pharmacologic rescue of impaired cognitive flexibility, social deficits, increased aggression, and seizure susceptibility in oxytocin receptor null mice: a neurobehavioral model of autism

Sala, Mariaelvina, Braida, Daniela, Lentini, Daniela, Busnelli, Marta, Bulgheroni, Elisabetta, Capurro, Valeria, Finardi, Annamaria, Donzelli, Andrea +6 more·2011·Biological Psychiatry

Abstract

Background Oxytocin (OT) has been suggested as a treatment to improve social behavior in autistic patients. Accordingly, the OT (Oxt(-/-)) and the OT receptor null mice (Oxtr(-/-)) display autistic-like deficits in social behavior, increased aggression, and reduced ultrasonic vocalization.Methods Oxtr(-/-) mice were characterized for general health, sociability, social novelty, cognitive flexibility, aggression, and seizure susceptibility. Because vasopressin (AVP) and OT cooperate in controlling social behavior, learning, and aggression, they were tested for possible rescue of the impaired behaviors. Primary hyppocampal cultures from Oxtr(+/+) and Oxtr(-/-) mouse embryos were established to investigate the balance between gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate synapses and the expression levels of OT and AVP (V1a) receptors were determined by autoradiography.Results Oxtr(-/-) mice display two additional, highly relevant, phenotypic characteristics: 1) a resistance to change in a learned pattern of behavior, comparable to restricted interests and repetitive behavior in autism, and 2) an increased susceptibility to seizures, a frequent and clinically relevant symptom of autism. We also show that intracerebral administration of both OT and AVP lowers aggression and fully reverts social and learning defects by acting on V1a receptors and that seizure susceptibility is antagonized by peripherally administered OT. Finally, we detect a decreased ratio of GABA-ergic versus total presynapses in hippocampal neurons of Oxtr(-/-) mice.Conclusions Autistic-like symptoms are rescued on administration of AVP and OT to young Oxtr(-/-) adult animals. The Oxtr(-/-) mouse is thus instrumental to investigate the neurochemical and synaptic abnormalities underlying autistic-like disturbances and to test new strategies of pharmacologic intervention.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.12.022

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Authors
Sala, M., Braida, D., Lentini, D., Busnelli, M., Bulgheroni, E., Capurro, V., Finardi, A., Donzelli, A., Pattini, L., Rubino, T., Parolaro, D., Nishimori, K., Parenti, M., & Chini, B.
Affiliations
  • University of Milan (IT)
  • University of Milano-Bicocca (IT)
  • National Research Council (IT)
  • Politecnico di Milano (IT)
  • University of Insubria (IT)
  • Tohoku University (JP)
Corresponding author
Chini, Bice
Venue
Biological Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2011-05
Volume
69
Issue
9
Pages
875-882
ISSN
0006-3223 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2116573486
Cited by
375
References
61
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 33 · 2017: 31 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 32 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 35
FWCI
42.15
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Biological Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • BOA (University of Milano-Bicocca) (submittedVersion)
  • IrInSubria (University of Insubria) (submittedVersion)
  • Virtual Community of Pathological Anatomy (University of Castilla La Mancha) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Fondazione Cariplo
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, oxytocin, oxytocin receptor, vasopressin, vasopressin V1a receptor, social behavior, aggression, seizure susceptibility, cognitive flexibility, social novelty, GABAergic synapses, glutamatergic synapses, hippocampus
MeSH terms
Aggression, Analysis of Variance, Animals, Arginine Vasopressin, Autistic Disorder, Autoradiography, Cells, Cultured, Cognition, Disease Models, Animal, Hippocampus, Immunohistochemistry, Male, Neurons, Oxytocin, Seizures, Social Behavior, Receptors, Oxytocin, Mice, Knockout, Mice

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