Sex-Dependent Novelty Response in Neurexin-1[alpha] Mutant Mice

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 7; no. 2; p. e31503
• Main Authors: Laarakker, Marijke C, Reinders, Niels R, Bruining, Hilgo, Ophoff, Roel A, Kas, Martien J. H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science 13-02-2012
• Subjects: Autism; Gene mutation; Genetic aspects; Schizophrenia
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031503

Neurexin-1 alpha (NRXN1[alpha]) belongs to the family of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), which are involved in the formation of neuronal networks and synapses. NRXN1[alpha] gene mutations have been identified in neuropsychiatric diseases including Schizophrenia (SCZ) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In order to get a better understanding of the pleiotropic behavioral manifestations caused by NRXN1[alpha] gene mutations, we performed a behavioral study of Nrxn1[alpha] heterozygous knock-out (+/-) mice and observed increased responsiveness to novelty and accelerated habituation to novel environments compared to wild type (+/+) litter-mates. However, this effect was mainly observed in male mice, strongly suggesting that gender-specific mechanisms play an important role in Nrxn1[alpha]-induced phenotypes.