Testing a Choline Diet in Neuroligin-Deficient C. elegans to Reduce Repetitive Behavior in Autism

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by obsessive adherence to repetitive motion and behavior. Previously my research tested whether neuroligin, a brain molecule and potential determinant of behavioral traits in autism, could be used in neuroligin-deficient C.elegans (strain NLG-1) to model autism. The experiment studied the sensitivity of neuroligin-deficient C. elegan to sensory stimuli, a core symptom of autism, and the results led to the conclusion that NLG-1 C. elegans could be used as a potential model for autism in worms. This project is a continuation study from last year that tested whether choline supplementation reduced repetitive locomotion in neuroligin-deficient C. elegans. Since people with neurological disorders are often deficient in the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, it was hypothesized that increasing the amount of choline, a building block of acetylcholine, would reduce repetitive behaviors. The C. elegans were age-synched to test three different age groups of worms, and over a 1-minute period, and the repetitive movement of the worms exposed to choline was compared to worms without choline using microscope camera software. The results showed the addition of choline in the diet significantly reduced the amount of repetitive locomotion in NLG-1 C. elegans in all 3 age groups. This study suggests that for people with ASD, adding choline to the diet in their daily schedule may help them reduce repetitive behavior. On a larger scale, scientists can use NLG-1 C. elegans to target neurochemical systems to develop early treatments, and ultimately reduce the significant deficits of autism.