Altered gastrointestinal function in the neuroligin-3 mouse model of autism

Grant number: W81XWH-12-1-0493 | Funding period: 2012 - 2014

Completed

Abstract

PUBLIC ABSTRACT Disorders in gut function, notably chronic constipation, are a major issue for autistic patients and their families, affecting up to 80% of patients. However, the mechanisms underlying these gut disorders are unknown. Many gene mutations identified in autism patients disrupt the proteins that regulate communication between nerve cells in the brain. It is our hypothesis that some of these mutations alter the behavior of the intrinsic nervous system of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the enteric nervous system (ENS), to produce gut problems. Surprisingly, there has been virtually no research addressing neural mechanisms underlying gut symptoms of autism (or autism spectrum dis..

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