Université de Fribourg

17-β estradiol increases parvalbumin levels in Pvalb heterozygous mice and attenuates behavioral phenotypes with relevance to autism core symptoms

Filice, Federica ; Lauber, Emanuel ; Vörckel, Karl Jakob ; Wöhr, Markus ; Schwaller, Beat

In: Molecular Autism, 2018, vol. 9, p. 15

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by two core symptoms: impaired social interaction and communication, and restricted, repetitive behaviors and interests. The pathophysiology of ASD is not yet fully understood, due to a plethora of genetic and environmental risk factors that might be associated with or causal for ASD. Recent findings...

Université de Fribourg

Reduction in parvalbumin expression not loss of the parvalbumin-expressing GABA interneuron subpopulation in genetic parvalbumin and shank mouse models of autism

Filice, Federica ; Vörckel, Karl Jakob ; Sungur, Ayse Özge ; Wöhr, Markus ; Schwaller, Beat

In: Molecular Brain, 2016, vol. 9, p. 10

Background A reduction of the number of parvalbumin (PV)-immunoreactive (PV⁺) GABAergic interneurons or a decrease in PV immunoreactivity was reported in several mouse models of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This includes Shank mutant mice, with SHANK being one of the most important gene families mutated in human ASD. Similar findings were obtained in heterozygous (PV+/-)...