VLDLR overexpression rat : evaluation as an animal model of autism

有报道称，在自闭症脑的尸检研究中，VLDLR基因的表达水平升高。在这项研究中，我们建立了高表达VLDLR的转基因(TG)大鼠，并检测了其组织学和行为特征。结果表明，TG大鼠自发活动明显增加，组织学未见明显改变。此外，TG大鼠在放射状迷宫中有表现出操作缺陷的倾向，提示空间工作记忆受到轻微损害。这些结果提示，VLDLR水平可能与运动和记忆功能有关。患有神经发育或精神障碍的患者没有表现出明显的神经解剖异常。因此，在VLDLR TG大鼠中检测到这些行为表型而没有神经解剖异常具有重要的临床意义。

It has been reported that level of VLDLR mRNA was increased in post mortem studies of autistic brain. In this study, we generated transgenic (Tg) rats overexpressing VLDLR and examined its histological and behavioral features. Results indicated that the spontaneous locomotor activity in Tg rats was significantly increased without detectable changes in histology. Additionally, Tg rats tended to show performance deficits in radial maze, suggesting that spatial working memory was slightly impaired. These results suggest that VLDLR level might be involved in locomotor activity and memory function. Patients with neurodevelopmental or psychiatric disorders do not show striking neuroanatomical aberration. Therefore, it is significant for the clinical aspect that these behavioral phenotypes were detected without neuroanatomical abnormality in VLDLR Tg rats.