User:Corri123/Animal model of autism

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Rodent model

One of the more common rodent models is the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus). More recent research has used the house mouse (Mus musculus) to model autism because it is a social species. Other strains of mice used include mu opioid receptor knockout mice, as well as Fmr1 knockout mice; the latter are also used as animal models of Fragile X syndrome.

The Norway rat has been used, for example, by Mady Hornig to implicate thiomersal in autism. The current scientific consensus is that no convincing scientific evidence supports these claims, and major scientific and medical bodies such as the Institute of Medicine and World Health Organization (WHO) as well as governmental agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reject any role for thiomersal in autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Behaviors measured in these models include approach to olfactory pheromones emitted by other mice, approach to familiar and new conspecifics, reciprocal social interactions, ultrasonic vocalizations, communal nesting, sexual and parenting behaviors, territorial scent marking, and aggressive behaviors, as well as motor behaviors such as gait. Social interaction is measured by how the mouse interacts with a stranger mouse introduced in the opposite side of a test box.

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