The neuromodulators vasopressin and oxytocin regulate inhibitory tone and sensory processing in the cerebellum. In the current project, Stephanie Rudolph and colleagues aim to manipulate neuromodulatory input in genetic mouse models for autism that have known deficits in cerebellar function with the goal of rescuing behavioral changes.

Autism spectrum disorders are often characterized by challenges in learning socially transmitted behaviors like social skills and language. In the current project, Todd Roberts’s team aims to establish a research program to test how the most significant ASD risk genes impact neural circuits involved in socially oriented learning and in the sensorimotor imitation of observed vocal behaviors in songbirds. FoxP1 will be studied as a first exemplar, since it is a high-risk ASD gene that is associated with significant speech and language impairments.