Age-related behavioural and striatal dysfunctions in Shank3 ΔC/ΔC mouse model of autism spectrum disorder.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are defined as a set of neurodevelopmental disorders and a lifelong condition. In mice, most of the studies focused on the developmental aspects of these diseases. In this paper, we examined the evolution of motor stereotypies through adulthood in the Shank3 ΔC/ΔC mouse model of ASD, and their underlying striatal alterations, at 10 weeks, 20 weeks, and 40 weeks. We highlighted that motor stereotypies worsened at 40 weeks possibly carried by earlier striatal medium spiny neurons (MSN) alterations in GABAergic transmission and morphology. Moreover, we report that 20 weeks could be a critical time-point in the striatal-related ASD physiopathology, and we suggest that MSN alterations may not be the direct consequence of developmental issues, but rather be a consequence of other impairments occurring earlier.