[Analysis of cortical network dynamics in the behavioral state of a mouse model of autism].

Researchers developed a new brain imaging system to study how different brain areas communicate in mice with autism-like features. They used special mice with a genetic change commonly found in people with autism. The system lets them watch brain activity while the mice move around freely in a virtual reality setup. This helps them understand how brain networks work differently in autism during various behaviors.

This 2023 review describes a novel virtual reality-based real-time imaging system used to study brain network dynamics in a mouse model of autism spectrum disorder. The researchers examined mice with chromosome 15q11-13 duplication (15q dup), a common genetic abnormality associated with ASD, which display autism-like behaviors. Using wide-field cortical imaging during voluntary behaviors, they analyzed functional connectivity between brain regions and applied graph theoretical network analysis to understand how cortical networks reconfigure during different behavioral states. The system enables investigation of the relationship between brain network dynamics and behavioral abnormalities in autism, providing insights into how large-scale functional networks operate differently in ASD models.

The VR-based imaging approach could advance understanding of how brain networks function differently during behaviors in autism. This methodology may inform future research on functional connectivity patterns and their relationship to behavioral symptoms in ASD.

This is a review paper describing methodology rather than presenting new experimental results. No sample sizes or statistical outcomes are reported. The specific behavioral differences and network abnormalities in the autism model are not detailed in the abstract.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by behavioral abnormalities such as poor social communication and stereotyped/repetitive behaviors. Functional dynamics among multiple cortical areas are associated with processing sensory information and planning and executing behavioral expressions. However, the reconfiguration of large-scale functional network dynamics during behaviors remains to be elucidated in ASD. In this review, we describe our virtual reality (VR) based real-time imaging system which allowed us to investigate wide-field cortical activity in voluntarily behaving mice.

We previously generated a mouse model of ASD with chromosome 15q11-13 duplication (15q dup), one of the most frequent genomic abnormalities, and reported that 15q dup mice display ASD-like behaviors. Using this system, we examined the functional cortical network during behaviors in 15q dup mice. Pair-wise correlation of cortical area activity on a time scale of a second was calculated to represent the dynamic state of cortical functional connectivity (FC). A graph theoretical network analysis was then conducted to illustrate rapid and robust behavior-state-dependent cortical network reconfiguration.

Our VR-based real-time imaging system provides invaluable information to understand FC dynamics linked to a behavioral abnormality of neuropsychiatric disorders.