Behavioural phenotyping assays for mouse models of autism

The diagnosis of autism is based on behavioural criteria. Robust phenotypes in mouse models hold great promise for the discovery of effective treatments for the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorders. Crawley and colleagues review the behavioural assays that are most relevant to the symptoms of human autism, along with the essential control measures. Autism is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder of unknown aetiology that affects 1 in 100–150 individuals. Diagnosis is based on three categories of behavioural criteria: abnormal social interactions, communication deficits and repetitive behaviours. Strong evidence for a genetic basis has prompted the development of mouse models with targeted mutations in candidate genes for autism. As the diagnostic criteria for autism are behavioural, phenotyping these mouse models requires behavioural assays with high relevance to each category of the diagnostic symptoms. Behavioural neuroscientists are generating a comprehensive set of assays for social interaction, communication and repetitive behaviours to test hypotheses about the causes of austism. Robust phenotypes in mouse models hold great promise as translational tools for discovering effective treatments for components of autism spectrum disorders.