Transient hearing abnormalities precede social deficits in a mouse model of autism.

Researchers studied mice with autism-like traits and found hearing problems appeared at 4 weeks of age, before social difficulties showed up at 6 weeks. The hearing issues got better as the mice got older. Computer analysis of hearing tests could identify which mice had autism-like traits with good accuracy. This suggests hearing problems might be an early warning sign of autism risk.

This preclinical study examined hearing abnormalities in Shank3B knockout mice, a well-established autism model. Researchers found transient hearing deficits at 4 weeks of age that preceded social behavioral deficits appearing at 6 weeks. The hearing abnormalities were detected through multiple measures including auditory brainstem response, auditory cortical activity, and acoustic startle response. Notably, these hearing issues gradually resolved with age.

Machine learning analysis of hearing data could predict mouse genotype with 85.71% accuracy. These findings suggest early hearing abnormalities may serve as potential biomarkers for autism risk, occurring before classic social symptoms emerge during development.

Early hearing assessment may identify autism risk before social symptoms appear. However, human studies are needed to validate these mouse model findings before clinical application. The transient nature of hearing abnormalities suggests timing of assessment may be critical.

Single mouse model study limits generalizability to human autism. Sample size not reported. Unknown study methodology affects interpretation. Unclear if findings translate across different autism presentations or genetic backgrounds.

Hearing abnormalities are important symptoms of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), a neurological and developmental disorder. However, the characteristics of hearing abnormalities associated with ASD during development have not been fully investigated. We found that in Shank3B knockout mice (a high-confidence mouse model of ASD), transient hearing abnormalities can be found in auditory brainstem response, auditory cortical activity, as well as acoustic startle response. More importantly, all hearing abnormalities at 4 weeks were most prominent and preceded the onset of social deficits at 6 weeks.

These hearing abnormalities gradually recovered with age. In addition, analysis of ABR data at 4 weeks using Support Vector Machine (SVM) can faithfully predict the genotype of mice with an accuracy of 85.71%. These findings not only revealed hearing changes in Shank3B knockout autistic-like mice during development, but also suggested that hearing abnormalities could potentially be used as an early and effective indicator of ASD risk.