Aggression is the most common reason for hospitalization in children with autism, yet little is known about the neurobiology of aggression in autism, and current treatment options are grossly inadequate. In this project, Neir Eshel and colleagues plan to use a mouse model to explore the roles of dopamine and serotonin in controlling aggressive responses to frustration.

A key challenge in individuals with ASD is decision-making in social contexts. To address this gap, Herbert Wu and colleagues plan to apply circuit and systems tools to a novel paradigm in mice to study how ASD risk genes impact social decision-making. This project aims to break new ground for tackling the impairment in social behaviors associated with ASD, offering insights into potential interventions and treatments.

While oral texture aversion and concomitant feeding issues are a significant and persistent problem for many autistic individuals, the mechanisms underlying oral texture sensitivity disruptions in ASD are not understood. Here, Lauren Orefice aims to identify the cellular and circuit-level mechanisms of dysfunction underlying oral texture hypersensitivity in mouse models for ASD, which may lead to a novel therapeutic target for texture-based feeding issues.

The ability to recognize others’ moods, emotions and intentions from facial expressions is altered in autistic individuals compared to neurotypical individuals. Kohitij Kar and colleagues plan to investigate neural circuit mechanisms that underlie such atypical behavior in autistic adults by developing a nonhuman primate (rhesus macaque) model of ASD-relevant facial emotion processing.

The major goal of the pilot study is to unravel the neural correlates underlying disturbances in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in a mouse model of 16p11.2 deletion syndrome. Weber’s teams will test whether reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex contributes to the suppression of phasic REM sleep, resulting in fewer rapid eye movements. Additionally, they will explore whether restoring phasic REM sleep can alleviate memory impairments observed in these mice.

Many individuals with ASD experience persistent agitation or aggression, which has an enormous impact on their and their families’ quality of life. In this project, Alexander Li Cohen aims to identify a brain circuit where injury or developmental alteration is associated with agitation and aggression across age and clinical populations. This will localize a potential mechanism as well as a putative treatment target for non-invasive neuromodulation.