Deficit in Social Relationships and Reduced Field of Interest in Mice

Abstract

Persistent social communication impairment and restricted fields of interest are the core features that characterize autism according to the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (2013). We present here an attempt to model clinical observations corresponding to these two dimensions in the mouse behavioral repertory. Modeling communication and social behavior deficits are examined in the first part of the chapter. Difficulties in social interactions cover a large spectrum including deficits in establishing or maintaining social relationships, disruptive behavior with aggression, and tantrums. We report techniques that allow social behavior in mice to be modeled. The onset of social behavior is treated in a particular section due to the early occurrence of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) clinical signs. The use of vocalizations as a model of infant communication is explored. Ethology has paid attention to social structures in rodents but measuring the ability to develop social interactions in mice has emerged recently. Different tests are presented and their results are compared. Modeling disruptive behavior is then examined. The second part of the chapter explores the possibility to measure repetitive behavior or stereotypies in mice. Several attempts have been made to model the narrowness of interests in mice. The respective possibility offered by the different tests is compared. Finally, the limitations of mouse models of ASD are discussed and the need is emphasized in conclusion, to develop organism models of autism through a multidimensional approach.