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Published on: January 29, 2018
Rest-activity patterns across development in two mouse models of autism and epilepsy.
Ipsa Dash1,2, Filip Fredlund1,2, Jenny Wickham2
1Division of Clinical Neurophysiology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Epilepsia Open
|July 4, 2026
Summary
Mice lacking the Syn2 gene showed increased hyperactivity in adulthood, coinciding with seizure onset. Cntnap2 KO mice did not display significant age-dependent changes in rest-activity patterns, highlighting genetic and age influences on autism and epilepsy models.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Sleep disturbances are common comorbidities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and epilepsy.
- Understanding the underlying mechanisms of these sleep issues is crucial for improving quality of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate developmental rest-activity patterns in mouse models of ASD and epilepsy.
- To examine Synapsin 2 (Syn2) and Contactin-associated protein-like 2 (Cntnap2) knockout (KO) mice.
Main Methods:
- Actigraphy was used to monitor rest-locomotor activity in Syn2 KO, Cntnap2 KO, and wild-type mice at different developmental stages (1-2, 3-5, 5-7 months).
- Continuous 72-hour monitoring under a 12-hour light/12-hour dark cycle was performed.
- Infrared sensors tracked both subtle and prominent movements to analyze age-dependent rhythms.
Main Results:
- All mice exhibited higher activity during the dark phase.
- Adolescent Syn2 KO mice showed normal patterns, but adult Syn2 KO mice displayed increased activity.
- Cntnap2 KO mice did not show robust age-dependent alterations in rest-activity patterns.
Conclusions:
- Adult Syn2 KO mice exhibit hyperactivity during their active phase, concurrent with seizure emergence.
- Cntnap2 KO mice do not show significant developmental changes in rest-activity behavior.
- These findings underscore genotype- and age-dependent variations in mouse models relevant to ASD and epilepsy.
