title: C57BL/6J bone marrow transplant increases sociability in BTBR T+Itpr3tf/J mice.
abstract: Associative studies across a range of neurodevelopmental disorders have revealed a relationship between immune system function and behavioral deficits. These correlations are particularly evident in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), a developmental disorder characterized by social behavior deficits and noted for its high instances of immune system dysfunction. Mouse models provide a unique opportunity to explore causal links between immune and nervous system function and reveal how changes in these systems alter behavioral profiles. The BTBR T+Itpr3tf/J (BTBR) mouse strain is characterized by both social behavior impairments and aberrant immune responses, affording the unique opportunity to investigate the causal relationship between behavior and immunity through direct manipulation of these systems. Using bone marrow from the highly social C57BL/6J (C57) mouse strain, BTBR mice were tested for changes in social approach behavior and repetitive grooming following irradiation and bone marrow transplant. BTBR recipient mice treated with allogeneic bone marrow from C57 donor mice, but not syngeneic BTBR bone marrow, displayed increased sociability as measured by the three-chamber social approach task and total time spent social sniffing. In addition, C57 recipient mice given allogeneic bone marrow from BTBR donors showed a significant increase in repetitive grooming behavior. These data provide evidence for a causal relationship between peripheral immune phenotype and social behavior in the BTBR mouse strain and further strengthen and expand on our existing understanding of the role of immune function in behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, United States; The M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California, Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States; Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Department of Psychology and Education, Mount Holyoke College, 50 College Street, South Hadley, MA 01075, United States.
authors.forename: Jared J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Schwartzer
authors.affiliation: The M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California, Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States; Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
authors.forename: Charity E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Onore
authors.affiliation: The M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California, Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States; Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
authors.forename: Destanie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.affiliation: The M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California, Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States; Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, United States. Electronic address: pashwood@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ashwood
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000523:psychology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006120:Grooming; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012919:Social Behavior
keywords: ASD; Animal model; Autism; BTBR T(+)tf/J; Behavior; Bone marrow transplant; Immune; Sociability; Translational