Cerebellar-cerebro cortical circuits in ASD

项目摘要 目前还没有针对自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的治疗方法， 其机制仍然知之甚少。最近的研究表明，小脑与脑梗死的发病机制有关。 ASD 2 -5，而我们最近已经表明，小脑功能障碍足以产生ASD相关的 行为6.虽然在临床ASD研究中已经确定了特定小脑区域的异常， 这些小脑区域的确切功能以及这些区域调节的神经回路基础 ASD行为仍然知之甚少。 在这个建议中，我们提出的数据表明，临床牵连，小脑域的关键作用 CrusI 7在调节ASD相关行为中的作用。此外，我们还表明，该区域的调制 在成年期能够部分挽救ASD小鼠模型中的ASD相关行为。然而，在这方面， 重要的问题仍然存在，包括关键时期是否有助于这种不完全的小脑介导的 救援我们假设，发展的关键时间窗口将影响救援ASD相关的行为。 为了评估这些假设，我们在目标1中提出了实验，以建立调节 ASD行为 此外，考虑到越来越多的文献表明小脑-大脑皮层回路的存在， 另一个尚未回答的问题是小脑是否通过调节 皮质区我们已经生成了初步数据，证明小脑和大脑之间的连接 和临床相关的内侧前额叶皮层（mPFC）以及支持mPFC在以下方面作用的数据： 小脑调节的ASD行为基于这些数据，我们假设小脑对大脑皮层的调节作用可能与小脑的活动有关。 mPFC将有助于ASD行为，丘脑-皮质回路将为ASD行为提供解剖学基础。 这些小脑调节的自闭症行为为了解决这些假设，我们在目标2中提出了实验 3.进一步建立小脑-mPFC连接的功能相关性，以确定小脑-mPFC连接的解剖结构， 在ASD相关行为的调节中这种连接的基础，并揭示是否调节 这些电路可以改善ASD相关的行为。 因此，在本建议中，我们将建立发育时间窗，在此期间，小脑- 可以实现介导的ASD行为。我们还将寻求确定和确立以下方面的作用： 自闭症谱系障碍相关行为中的小脑mPFC回路，并定义回路调制的治疗益处 这些行为。因此，这些研究不仅将进一步加深我们对ASD基本机制的理解， 还将评估使用基于电路的神经调节治疗的临床前潜力， ASD的治疗

Project Summary No targeted therapies exist for the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), as the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Recent studies have implicated the cerebellum in the pathogenesis of ASDs2-5, while we have recently shown that cerebellar dysfunction is sufficient to generate ASD-relevant behaviors6. Although abnormalities in specific cerebellar regions have been identified in clinical ASD studies, the exact functions of these cerebellar domains and the neural circuit basis by which these domains regulate ASD behaviors remains poorly understood. In this proposal, we present data demonstrating a critical role for the clinically-implicated, cerebellar domain right CrusI7 in the regulation of ASD-related behaviors. Moreover, we also show that modulation of this region during adulthood is able to partially rescue ASD-related behaviors in an ASD mouse model. However, important questions remain including whether critical periods contribute to this incomplete cerebellar-mediated rescue. We hypothesize that developmental critical time windows will impact rescue of ASD-related behaviors. To evaluate these hypotheses, we propose experiments in Aim 1 to establish the critical periods regulating ASD behaviors. In addition, considering a growing literature demonstrating the presence of cerebellar-cerebro cortical circuits5, another unanswered question is whether the cerebellum regulates ASD behaviors through modulation of cortical domains? We have generated preliminary data demonstrating connectivity between the cerebellum and the clinically-implicated medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) as well as data supporting a role for the mPFC in cerebellar-regulated ASD behaviors. Based on these data, we hypothesize that cerebellar regulation of the mPFC will contribute to ASD behaviors and that thalamo-cortical circuits will provide an anatomic substrate for these cerebellar-regulated ASD behaviors. To address these hypotheses, we propose experiments in Aims 2 and 3 to further establish the functional relevance of cerebellar-mPFC connectivity, to determine the anatomic basis for this connectivity in the regulation of ASD-related behaviors, and to uncover whether modulation of these circuits can improve ASD-related behaviors. Thus, in this proposal, we will establish the developmental time windows during which rescue of cerebellar- mediated ASD behaviors can be achieved. We will additionally seek to identify and establish the role for cerebellar-mPFC circuits in ASD-related behaviors and define the therapeutic benefits of circuit modulation on these behaviors. Thus, these studies will not only further our understanding of basic mechanisms of ASD but will also evaluate the pre-clinical potential for therapeutics using circuit-based neuromodulation for the treatment of ASD.