Autism Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Autism, including details on symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, causes, effects.

Circling behavior and [14C]2-deoxyglucose mapping in rats: possible implications for autistic repetitive behaviors.

Velísek L, Velísková J, Ravizza T, Giorgi FS, Moshé SL

Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1410 Pelham Parkway South, Bronx, NY 10461, USA. velisek@aecom.yu.edu

Repetitive behaviors (such as circling) are one of the defining features of autism. The substantia nigra (SN) is involved in circling. We used unilateral SN pars reticulata (SNR) infusions of the GABA agonist muscimol to induce circling and deoxyglucose autoradiography mapping in adult and postnatal day (PN) 15 male and female rats to determine its substrates. In adults, muscimol infusions in posterior SNR induced a higher circling rate than in anterior SNR, after which males displayed faster circling than females. In contrast, PN15 female rats circled faster than PN15 male rats. Autoradiograms demonstrated age- and sex-specific alterations of deoxyglucose uptake in the SN pars compacta (SNC) associated with highest circling rates. The data suggest that there is a close relationship of the GABAergic SNR and dopaminergic SNC in the induction of circling; there is a topographic organization of the SNR in terms of circling behavior and associated deoxyglucose uptake, which is dependent on age and sex.

Published 2 February 2005 in Neurobiol Dis, 18(2): 346-55.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Autism Research Today. All Rights Reserved.