Deficits in skilled motor and auditory learning in a rat model of Rett syndrome

Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Amanda Alvarez-Dieppa¹  Robert A. Morrison²  Crystal T. Engineer²  Katherine S. Adcock²  Michael P. Kilgard³  Seth A. Hays³  Abigail E. Blount⁴ 

[1] School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, 75080-3021, Richardson, TX, USA;School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, 75080-3021, Richardson, TX, USA;Texas Biomedical Device Center, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, 75080-3021, Richardson, TX, USA;School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, 75080-3021, Richardson, TX, USA;Texas Biomedical Device Center, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, 75080-3021, Richardson, TX, USA;Department of Bioengineering, Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, 75080-3021, Richardson, TX, USA;Texas Biomedical Device Center, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, 75080-3021, Richardson, TX, USA;

关键词: Rett syndrome;    MeCP2;    Motor;    Auditory;    Learning;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s11689-020-09330-5

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundRett syndrome is an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a mutation in the gene MECP2. Individuals with Rett syndrome display developmental regression at an early age, and develop a range of motor, auditory, cognitive, and social impairments. Several studies have successfully modeled some aspects of dysfunction and Rett syndrome-like phenotypes in transgenic mouse and rat models bearing mutations in the MECP2 gene. Here, we sought to extend these findings and characterize skilled learning, a more complex behavior known to be altered in Rett syndrome.MethodsWe evaluated the acquisition and performance of auditory and motor function on two complex tasks in heterozygous female Mecp2 rats. Animals were trained to perform a speech discrimination task or a skilled forelimb reaching task.ResultsOur results reveal that Mecp2 rats display slower acquisition and reduced performance on an auditory discrimination task than wild-type (WT) littermates. Similarly, Mecp2 rats exhibit impaired learning rates and worse performance on a skilled forelimb motor task compared to WT.ConclusionsTogether, these findings illustrate novel deficits in skilled learning consistent with clinical manifestation of Rett syndrome and provide a framework for development of therapeutic strategies to improve these complex behaviors.

【 授权许可】

CC BY