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Cited by 51Memory and Neural MechanismsAutism Spectrum Disorder ResearchGenetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Age- and sex-specific fear conditioning deficits in mice lacking Pcdh10, an Autism Associated Gene

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Ferri, Sarah L., Dow, Holly C., Schoch, Hannah, Lee, Ji Youn, Brodkin, Edward S., Abel, Ted·2021·Neurobiology of Learning and Memory
DOI 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107364PMC PMC7880893

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Abstract

PCDH10 is a gene associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is involved in the growth of thalamocortical projections and dendritic spine elimination. Previously, we characterized Pcdh10 haploinsufficient mice (Pcdh10+/- mice) and found male-specific social deficits and dark phase hypoactivity. Pcdh10+/- males exhibit increased dendritic spine density of immature morphology, decreased NMDAR expression, and decreased gamma synchronization in the basolateral amygdala (BLA). Here, we further characterize Pcdh10+/- mice by testing for fear memory, which relies on BLA function. We used both male and female Pcdh10+/- mice and their wild-type littermates at two ages, juvenile and adult, and in two learning paradigms, cued and contextual fear conditioning. We found that males at both ages and in both assays exhibited fear conditioning deficits, but females were only impaired as adults in the cued condition. These data are further evidence for male-specific alterations in BLA-related behaviors in Pcdh10+/- mice and suggest that these mice may be a useful model for dissecting male specific brain and behavioral phenotypes relevant to social and emotional behaviors.

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  • Vehicle-treated mice exhibited behavior statistically equivalent to historical never-injected control mice for social preference at ~PN30 and 24 hr fear memory at ~PN60.

    “veh-treated mice exhibited behavior statistically equivalent to historical data of ours with mice that were undisturbed as neonates (no neonatal injection)”

    From Excess Neonatal Testosterone Causes Male-Specific Social and Fear Memory Deficits in Wild-Type Mice (2025) · cites this paper as Ferri et al., 2021

    The Results sections compare Pcdh10 mutant mice with wild-type littermates, not vehicle-treated mice with historical never-injected controls. The copy describes 24-hour fear tests, but the passages found do not report a statistical comparison involving neonatal injections or social preference; searches for those terms did not locate one. Page numbers were not available. (LLM, conf=0.75)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Ferri, S. L., Dow, H. C., Schoch, H., Lee, J. Y., Brodkin, E. S., & Abel, T.
Affiliations
  • University of Iowa (US)
  • University of Pennsylvania (US)
  • Washington State University Spokane (US)
Corresponding author
Abel, Ted
ORCID
Venue
Neurobiology of Learning and Memory
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-02
Volume
178
Pages
107364
ISSN
1074-7427 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107364
PMC
PMC7880893
OpenAlex
W3110722071
Cited by
51
References
8
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 35
FWCI
5.51
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Neurobiology of Learning and Memory (publishedVersion)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Iowa
  • National Institute of Mental Health
  • Pennsylvania Department of Health
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Keywords
PCDH10, autism spectrum disorder, fear conditioning, basolateral amygdala, sex differences, cued fear, contextual fear, dendritic spines, NMDA receptor, gamma oscillations, social behavior, emotional behavior
MeSH terms
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Protocadherins, Age Factors, Animals, Conditioning, Classical, Fear, Female, Male, Sex Factors, Cadherins, Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate, Mice, Knockout, Dendritic Spines, Mice, Basolateral Nuclear Complex

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