Noise cancellation: Mice that carry autism-linked variants of the SCN2A gene show changes in neuronal activity that correlate with observed changes in sociability, according to a preprint. Mechanistically, the excitation-inhibition ratio was boosted in SCN2A-deficient neurons, creating a noisy background for social signals, the researchers found. The GABA-receptor agonist clonazepam, which can restore the balance of excitatory and inhibitory neural activity, mitigated both neuronal and behavioral changes in a manner similar to restoring SCN2A expression. bioRxiv
More autism research we spotted:
- “Cell-type-specific roles of FOXP1 in the excitatory neuronal lineage during early neocortical murine development” Cell Reports