Shank3-deficient rats exhibit degraded cortical responses to sound.

Crystal T EngineerKimiya C RahebiMichael S BorlandElizabeth P BuellKwok W ImLinda G WilsonPryanka SharmaSven VannesteHala Harony-NicolasJoseph D BuxbaumMichael P Kilgard

Published in: Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research (2017)

Individuals with SHANK3 mutations have severely impaired language abilities, yet the auditory cortex response to sound has remained largely understudied. In this study, we found that auditory cortex responses were weaker and were unable to respond well to rapid sounds in Shank3-deficient rats compared to control rats. The rat model of the auditory impairments in SHANK3 mutation could be used to test potential rehabilitation or drug therapies to improve the communication impairments observed in individuals with Phelan-McDermid syndrome.

Keyphrases

working memory
hearing loss
functional connectivity
autism spectrum disorder
emergency department
case report
wild type
electronic health record