AUTISTIC MONKEYS CREATED IN CHINESE LAB.

Scientists in China have genetically modified monkeys to give them autism in an experiment they hope will allow them to find better treatment for human sufferers of the condition. The Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences has generated more than twelve macaque monkeys with the genetic error that causes autistic features in humans, it reported, including repetitive speech and restricted interests. Autism in humans, which is normally present from childhood, is characterized by difficulties communicating with other people, as well as struggling with language, speech and abstract concepts. According to the National Autistic Society, around 1 in 100 people have autism in the UK. The macaques, who have extra copies of the MECP2 gene, display many of these characteristics -- pacing, moving in circles and low levels of interaction with other monkeys. They are also more anxious when researchers entered the cage, and showed signs of violence, anxiety and fear when challenged or looked in the eye. This, researchers say, "echoes the problems human children with the gene defect" have. "The monkeys show very similar behaviour to human autism patients," said lead researcher Zilong Qiu. “We think it provides a very unique model."Although no one mutation causes autism, researchers believe that common circuits in the brain are affected. By watching the monkeys' behaviour, and by imaging their brains, the team hope to identify some of these circuits. They'll also be testing different forms of treatment -- deep-brain stimulation, to alleviate symptoms, and CRISPR genome editing in an attempt to reverse the genetic error. Story adapted from Wired. CO.UK

FOAL DISORDER LINKED TO AUTISM IN MAN.

Veterinary researchers at the University of California, Davis, are exploring possible ties between a foal disorder and autism.Abnormal levels of naturally occurring neuro -steroids may be the common link, according to a UC Davis release. The horse disorder—known as neonatal maladjustment syndrome—has been a mystery for a century. Signs of the little-understood condition that appear in 3 to 5 percent of live births are detachment, failure to recognize their mothers and no interest in nursing.“The behavioral abnormalities in these foals seem to resemble some of the symptoms in children with autism,” says John Madigan, DVM, MS, UC Davis veterinary professor and expert in equine neonatal health. Nursing newborn horses with the disorder is demanding. Eighty percent of foals survive with intensive care in a veterinary clinic and constant bottle or tube feeding for up to 10 days. Researchers are eying naturally occurring neurosteroids as a top suspect in causing the disorder. The compound acts as a sedative and keeps the foal “quiet” before birth.“Foals don’t gallop in utero,” Madigan says in the release. However, the foal must be able to run shortly after its birth. The biochemical change the newborn undergoes in the birth canal may be triggered by the physical pressure of the birthing process, researchers believe. read more here;http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/new-veterinary-treatment-foal-disorder-simulates-necessary-trigger-birthing-process