Potential Involvement of Impaired BKCa Channel Function in Sensory Defensiveness and Some Behavioral Disturbances Induced by Unfamiliar Environment in a Mouse Model of Fragile X Syndrome

In fragile X syndrome (FXS), sensory hypersensitivity and impaired habituation is thought to result in attention overload and various behavioral abnormalities in reaction to the excessive and remanent salience of environment features that would normally be ignored. This phenomenon, termed sensory de...

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Published in:Neuropsychopharmacology (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2018-02, Vol.43 (3), p.492-502
Main Authors: Carreno-Munoz, Maria Isabel, Martins, Fabienne, Medrano, Maria Carmen, Aloisi, Elisabetta, Pietropaolo, Susanna, Dechaud, Corentin, Subashi, Enejda, Bony, Guillaume, Ginger, Melanie, Moujahid, Abdelmalik, Frick, Andreas, Leinekugel, Xavier
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attention
Cortex
FMR1 protein
Fragile X syndrome
Grooming
Habituation
Habituation (learning)
Hyperactivity
Hypersensitivity
Hypotheses
Intellectual disabilities
Mice
Nest building
Original
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Summary:In fragile X syndrome (FXS), sensory hypersensitivity and impaired habituation is thought to result in attention overload and various behavioral abnormalities in reaction to the excessive and remanent salience of environment features that would normally be ignored. This phenomenon, termed sensory defensiveness, has been proposed as the potential cause of hyperactivity, hyperarousal, and negative reactions to changes in routine that are often deleterious for FXS patients. However, the lack of tools for manipulating sensory hypersensitivity has not allowed the experimental testing required to evaluate the relevance of this hypothesis. Recent work has shown that BMS-204352, a BKCa channel agonist, was efficient to reverse cortical hyperexcitability and related sensory hypersensitivity in the Fmr1-KO mouse model of FXS. In the present study, we report that exposing Fmr1-KO mice to novel or unfamiliar environments resulted in multiple behavioral perturbations, such as hyperactivity, impaired nest building and excessive grooming of the back. Reversing sensory hypersensitivity with the BKCa channel agonist BMS-204352 prevented these behavioral abnormalities in Fmr1-KO mice. These results are in support of the sensory defensiveness hypothesis, and confirm BKCa as a potentially relevant molecular target for the development of drug medication against FXS/ASD.
ISSN:0893-133X
1740-634X
DOI:10.1038/npp.2017.149