Topic: autism-like symptomatology

Shank3 is a postsynaptic cytoskeletal protein that acts as an intracellular scaffold supporting various subsequent synaptic components. Its deficiency is associated with significant changes in the morphology and electrophysiological properties of dopaminergic neurons and the expression of various synaptic proteins affecting normal brain development primarily during the early stages. These disruptions in neuronal circuits lead to changes in social interactions, communication skills, and behavioral patterns, commonly observed in neurodevelopmental disorders like autism. To better understand thes

Despite an increasing number of studies describing changes in dopamine brain regions and autism symptoms, the specific alterations in midbrain dopamine neurons projecting to the striatum remain unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the structural and morphological properties of primary dopaminergic neuronal cell cultures isolated from Shank3-deficient transgenic mouse, known for exhibiting autism-like symptomatology. Additionally, we evaluated the expression of selected synaptic proteins in the brain areas relevant for social behavior in wild type (WT) and Shank3-defi