Human and mouse brains are found to be alike thus paving path for testing new therapies

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UCLA scientists have created a mouse model for autism that opens a window into the biological mechanisms that underlie the disease.

The researchers found that autistic mice share similar symptoms and behaviors with people on the autism spectrum, suggesting that mouse brains and human brains are wired surprisingly alike. If so, the model offers a promising way to test new therapies that may one day help people with autism.

The study is published in the Sept. 30 edition of the journal Cell.

“Though many genes have been linked to autism, it remains unclear what goes awry to increase a person’s susceptibility to the disorder. We developed a mouse model to observe how a gene variant commonly linked to human autism reveals itself in mice,” said. Dr. Daniel Geschwind, who holds UCLA’s Gordon and Virginia MacDonald Distinguished Chair in Human Genetics and is a professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of the Center for Autism Research and Treatment at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA.

Ref and Read more: http://www.healthcanal.com/genetics-birth-defects/21361-UCLA-geneticists-develop-promising-mouse-model-for-testing-new-autism-therapies.html

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