SFARI | Topic: Circuits, Cognition & Behavior

Characterizing motor deficits and striatal circuit dynamics in rat models of autism

In this project, Bence Ölveczky aims to garner insight into the neural circuit-level changes associated with autism and how these lead to motor-related manifestations of the condition. To this end, the project will combine long-term continuous neural recordings in the striatum with quantitative measurements of behavior in freely behaving rats.

Linking neuroimmune dysfunction, sensory system deficits and behavioral phenotypes in a new mouse model of MEF2C haploinsufficiency syndrome

The syndromic autism gene, MEF2C, plays an essential role in both neuronal and neuroimmune aspects of brain development and function. In the current project, Christopher Cowan, Hainan Lang and Bärbel Rohrer aim to explore the impact of neuroimmune Mef2c hypofunction on the development and function of mouse auditory and visual sensory systems.

Developmental trajectories of neuroanatomical alterations associated with the 16p11.2 copy number variations.

Altered neural connectivity in females, but not males with autism: Preliminary evidence for the female protective effect from a quality-controlled diffusion tensor imaging study.

Oxytocin signaling in the medial amygdala is required for sex discrimination of social cues.

Purkinje cell-specific Grip1/2 knockout mice show increased repetitive self-grooming and enhanced mGluR5 signaling in cerebellum.

Thalamocortical circuit motifs: A general framework.

GABAergic inhibition gates perceptual awareness during binocular rivalry.

Slower binocular rivalry in the autistic brain.

Thalamic reticular dysfunction as a circuit endophenotype in neurodevelopmental disorders.