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Strategies for Assessing Autistic-Like Behaviors in Mice
Published on: September 20, 2024
Opioids and autism spectrum disorder: liaisons dangereuses?
1Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, Intensive Care, and Emergency Medicine, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Geneva Neuroscience Center, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Abstract:
A recent laboratory study in the Journal examined the effects of repeated exposures of neonatal mice to fentanyl on autism-like behaviour via opioid receptor-mediated DNA hypermethylation of the Grin2B gene, which encodes the GluN2B subunit of the NMDA receptor. These experiments provide mechanisms and biological plausibility but do not directly demonstrate that opioid exposure in early life induces autism spectrum disorder in humans. Experimental modelling of human neuropsychiatric disorders is extremely challenging since most subjective psychiatric symptoms used to establish diagnosis in humans cannot be convincingly ascertained in laboratory rodents. While some human epidemiological data show associations between repeated exposures to opioids during early life, it remains undetermined whether opioid exposure is an independent risk factor for developing autism spectrum disorder in the young.
Insights
Neonatal mice exposed to fentanyl showed autism-like behaviors linked to gene changes. However, this animal study does not confirm if early-life opioid exposure causes autism spectrum disorder in humans.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Opioid exposure during early development is a growing concern.
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition.
- Animal models are crucial for understanding the biological mechanisms of human disorders.
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