Repeated Behavioral Patterns in Animal Models of Autism

This chapter describes animal models for autism, with a focus on RRBIs. ASD evidently has a robust genetic component, with strong familial inheritance patterns and the potential involvement of approximately 1000 genes. Research supports that RRBIs have a strong genetic component, and there is some evidence that an imbalance in the neurotransmission system of dopamine, GABA, and serotonin (5-HT) have a role in RRBI. The chapter describes animal models for autism, with a focus on RRBI. Findings from three different mouse models are presented: a mouse model based on mutations found in humans with ASD (the mouse genome is altered to include the same mutations as those found in humans with ASD), a mouse model of ASD involving neurodevelopmental processes during pregnancy, and a multifactorial mouse model that includes a combination of factors other than genetic mutations or biological markers that account for the observed ASD-related symptoms. The studies on these mouse models, similar to the research on neurological mechanisms among humans, emphasize our current understanding of ASD in humans. That is, some ASD symptoms may or may not be associated with various genetic and environmental factors, and the etiology of ASD and RRBI in most individuals with these diagnoses remains an enigma.